Felony Acquittal for Client of Attorney Heath Lynch

Felony Case Against Man Charged with Accosting a Minor in East Grand Rapids Dismissed

Grand Rapids, Mich. – July 15, 2022 – Circuit Court Judge dismisses case against Joshua Hocquard on the day of trial after Kent County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office moves to dismiss. Prosecutors dismissed a felony charge against Joshua Hocquard on Monday, the day set for the trial of Hocquard’s case.

In April 2020, Kent County prosecutors charged Hocquard with the felony of accosting a minor for immoral purposes after an eleven-year-old East Grand Rapids minor claimed a single security photo of Hocquard, who had been playing tennis in the area that day, depicted the man who approached the girl in a vehicle on an East Grand Rapids street, and asked if she wanted to see his genitalia.

Hocquard denied the allegations. The case was set for trial on Monday, July 11, 2022. That morning, with Hocquard and his attorney, Heath Lynch of SBBL Law, present in court, an assistant prosecuting attorney moved to dismiss the case. Circuit Judge George J. Quist granted the motion from the bench and signed a final order of dismissal later that day.

Attorney Lynch, who represented Hocquard throughout his case, said he was “pleased that the Kent County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office did the right thing here. While we wish the decision had come sooner, we are relieved and grateful that Josh can finally move past this. He maintained his innocence from the beginning and never wavered.”

Lynch also stated, “We felt very confident going into trial. There were major issues with the process used by law enforcement to identify Josh, which we were prepared to point out. The investigation process was hasty, reactive, and ultimately misleading, and I think the jury would have seen that. I believe it was a wise decision for the county to dismiss its case.”

Accosting a minor for immoral purposes is a felony in Michigan, punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to four years. A defendant convicted of the crime is required to register as a Tier II offender under the Sex Offender Registration Act.