Bond lowered for man accused of intimidating witnesses during sexual assault trial
The bond for a man who was found not guilty of third-degree criminal sexual conduct but now faces charges for allegedly intimidating witnesses in that case was lowered Thursday.
Raynel White, and his sister Shanel White, have both been charged with intimidating witnesses stemming from an encounter the two of them had in a courtroom hallway before a hearing in Raynel White’s sexual assault case. He was originally jailed on a $125,000 cash bond in the sexual assault case, but Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge David Swartz lowered that to a $10,000 cash bond Thursday.
A jury found Raynel White not guilty on a charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct stemming from a May 17 incident in the North Quad dormitory. Police had said White and two other men got into the dormitory with a woman who knew one of the men. The woman alleged that White sexually assaulted her when she entered a bathroom at the dormitory, police said.
Police arrested White and the two other men while they were still inside the dorm.
Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Blake Hatlem said Thursday that it was likely Raynel White was found not guilty during the jury trial because he and his sister had threatened the witnesses before it began. Hatlem said the witnesses had felt intimidated and were not as forthright as they otherwise would have been.
“This had a huge impact on the jury finding him not guilty of the rape charge,” Hatlem said.
In the case stemming from the May 17 incident, Raynel White was also accused of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer, breaking and entering and selling or furnishing alcohol to minors.
Raynel White returned to jail following the court hearing and was still lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail as of Thursday evening. He also faces charges of open alcohol container in a vehicle and driving with a suspended license or letting a suspended person operate a vehicle, according to jail records.
He still has a bond for the witness intimidation case of $25,000 cash, according to jail records.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Ricebrnr
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 : 6:40 p.m.
Anyone ever noticed that it's really difficult to threaten someone who has the ability to return that threat in kind and/or greater??? Just an observation...
tomnspats
Mon, Dec 5, 2011 : 4:06 p.m.
What is wrong with the prosecutors office why do they not raise the bail?What about the sister why is she not in jail?
tinkerbell
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 : 4:48 a.m.
It is the Judge not the prosecutors who raise bond.
RJA
Mon, Dec 5, 2011 : 5:13 a.m.
Not getting into this one, David Swartz will do the right thing.
Yurmama
Mon, Dec 5, 2011 : 1:16 a.m.
Now that you showed scared, they'll see you as easy pickings. Be prepared! Do not be afraid of these thugs. Post their picture in your dorms. Give their picture to campus security. Carry a cheap disposable camera with a flash or your car. Learn how to turn on the voice recorder on your phone quickly. Buddy up. Get yourself to some self-defence classes. Whose little sister in next in line for these junior Al Capones?
Sallyxyz
Mon, Dec 5, 2011 : 3:12 a.m.
Sarcasm aside, all the more reason to post the photos here.
Sallyxyz
Sun, Dec 4, 2011 : 7:24 p.m.
Of course, there are no photos of Raynel White, and his sister Shanel White. This is really poor reporting.
trespass
Sun, Dec 4, 2011 : 6:37 p.m.
If the Prosecutor's office will charge these defendents with intimidating a witness and furnishing alcohol to a minor then why did this prosecutor's office refuse to issue a warrant for a UM football player who threatened to rape a girl again if she pressed charges or the CHI PSI fraternity house who served the 18 year old alcohol. Is there a different standard for football players or fraternity houses?