Assault Acquittal for SBBL Law Client

Ionia County Jury Acquits Lansing Area Man After Less Than 20 Minutes Of Deliberation

Jury acquits Joseph John Ranere on felony charge of assault by strangulation

Ionia, Mich. – May 16, 2022 – Joseph John Ranere was acquitted by an Ionia County jury on all charges, including a felony charge of assault by strangulation. The jury acquitted Ranere following a one-and-a-half-day trial and under 20 minutes of deliberation on May 12.

Ranere, who had never been convicted of any crime before, was charged in April 2021 by Ionia County prosecutors, following an alleged incident that occurred earlier that month against another member of Ranere’s household. In addition to assault by strangulation, he was charged with attempted interfering with electronic communications, malicious destruction of personal property, and domestic violence.

Attorney Heath Lynch of Springstead Bartish Borgula & Lynch, PLLC, Ranere’s trial attorney, said, “The government’s case was entirely uncorroborated and based solely on the testimony of a complaining witness whose version of events changed repeatedly over time and tended to become more elaborate and dramatic with each telling.”

Ranere rejected a plea deal from prosecutors prior to trial and once more when it was offered to him mid-trial. Ranere said, “I refused to plead to any crime since I did not commit one. I felt the best option was for a jury to hear the case and I had full faith and confidence in my attorney and legal team to proceed forward.”

According to Lynch, law enforcement failed to collect or produce any evidence to corroborate the complainant’s story, and the jury appeared to put no stock in her unsupported account of events.