[MI] INSTEAD OF LIFE SENTENCE, NOW OFFICER STEELE IS FACING 90 DAYS IN JAIL.

...Gary Steele, 42, could face 90 days in jail and fines when he is sentenced June 23...

PREVIOUS POSTS:

• [MI] Officer Steele faces life for domestic torture and shots fired - ...An off-duty Detroit Police officer was arrested in Canton Township Tuesday for allegedly striking his girlfriend with a baseball bat and firing three rounds from his service revolver... Assistant Prosecutor Scott Ehlfeldt argued for the high cash bond saying [she] is terrified of Steele... The charges against Steele include torture and assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, weapon/firearm discharge in or at a building, and weapons-felony firearm...
• [MI] Media forgetting Officer Steele hit her with a baseball bat too? - A Detroit police officer charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend was suspended Thursday without pay. The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners suspended Gary A. Steele, 42, of Canton. He was charged earlier this month with torture and assault with intent to commit murder...
• [MI] Kim is entitled to walk the earth in no fear of Officer Steele - ...Judge Ronald W. Lowe denied the request to lower Steele's $5 million bond. "Until this shakes out, (Golematis) is entitled to walk the Earth in no fear of him," he said, adding that he fears for the Canton woman's safety because she's the main thing standing between Steele and his freedom... "I don't like the way it ended... I wish them luck and I've moved on. The price we pay for peace... I just walked away from nine years of my life. I really don't have a plan right now, but that's OK because I'm home with my kids"...
• [MI] Terrifying Officer Steele's jury trial will be in December - ...After placing the gun inside her mouth and to her head, Golematis said Steele appeared to "snap" back to reality when she told him that he was hurting her. "He said 'I love you. I just love you so much. I would do anything for us'"... He supposedly hit her left leg with a baseball bat and then began choking her...

DETROIT COP PLEADS IN ASSAULT ON GIRLFRIEND
Observer
By Darrell Clem
June 14, 2009
A suspended Detroit police officer accused of trying to kill his estranged Canton girlfriend pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless use of a firearm. Gary Steele, 42, could face 90 days in jail and fines when he is sentenced June 23 by Wayne County Circuit Judge Ulysses Boykin. Numerous felony charges including torture, assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, felonious assault and felony firearm are expected to be dismissed at sentencing, Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Maria Miller said Friday. Steele could have faced penalties ranging up to life in prison if he had gone to trial and been convicted as charged... He was jailed until he posted bond in May, but Boykin had then ordered him to wear a tether... [Full article here]

Last Year:
BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS
Minutes of the Regular Board of Police Commissioners Meeting
Thursday, March 20, 2008
[Excerpts] ...Prior to March 4, 2008, the Complainant stated that during the six months that she had been dating Police Officer Steele, she noticed that he had a violent temper and sudden outbursts of anger, which scared her... Officer Steele re-entered the garage using the keypad, grabbed the bat, and hit the Complainant on her right thigh bringing her to her knees. Officer Steele then picked up the Complainant by her throat, dragged her toward the interior door, and smashed her head through the garage wall. He then choked her and pushed her through the door onto her back. Officer Steele then got on top of her, held her by her throat, and repeatedly pushed her head into the floor. Officer Steele drew his revolver and fired three shots into the floor next to the Complainant's head. He placed the gun to her head and stated, "I will kill you. Do you hear me Kim? I will kill you." Officer Steele then told the Complainant to open her mouth so that he could blow her "fucking brains out"... Members of the Canton Police Department conducted a traffic stop on the Grand Prix. Officer Steele was ordered out of his car and onto the ground. He was placed in custody and escorted to the scout car. A .38 caliber revolver was found in a holster on Officer Steele's right hip. When Officer Steele was asked if he had fired any shots at the house, he responded by saying, "Yes, it was a stupid thing to do." The Canton Police Department recovered the following firearms from the trunk of Officer Steele's vehicle and placed them on hold "Safe Keeping... On March 5, 2008, Lieutenant Lynda Hicks, badge L-12, and Sergeant Diaz Graves, badge S-28, both assigned to the Northwestern District, responded to the Canton Police Department and suspended Officer Steele. On March 5, 2008, Detective Michael Wells, of the Canton Police Department, obtained a seven count felony warrant against Officer Steele charging him with the following:
Count 1. Torture
Count 2. Assault with Intent to Commit Murder
Count 3. Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm less than Murder
Count 4. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Felonious Assault)
Count 5. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Felonious Assault)
Count 6. Weapons-Firearms-Discharge in or at a building
Count 7. Weapons-Felony Firearm
[LINK]
[police officer involved domestic violence law enforcement LETHAL TEFLON MICHIGAN]

[MI] Kim is entitled to walk the earth in no fear of Officer Steele

Trial set for police officer charged with torturing ex-girlfriend
Observer
BY TIFFANY L. PARKS
July 17, 2008
The jury trial for the suspended Detroit police officer accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend has been set for Aug. 13. Gary Allen Steele, 42, has been detained on a $5 million bond since the March 4 incident. Steele allegedly hit Kimberly Ann Golematis with a baseball bat before firing a gun near her head... The trial will take place before Judge Ulysses W. Boykin in Wayne County Circuit Court. [Full article here]

EARLIER INFO:

On March 5, 2008 Canton Police Department obtained a 7 count felony warrant against Officer Steele charging him with:

• Torture
• Assault with Intent to Commit Murder
• Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm less than Murder
• Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Felonious Assault)
• Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Felonious Assault)
• Weapons-Firearms-Discharge in or at a building
• Weapons-Felony Firearm

Judge refuses to drop charges in torture case
The Observer
TIFFANY L. PARKS tlparks@hometownlife.com
April 13, 2008
As his ex-girlfriend testified about the day he allegedly assaulted her with a baseball bat and fired a gun near her head, Gary Allen Steele sat with his arms crossed and shook his head. "Pow. Pow. Pow," Kimberly Ann Golematis said from the witness stand Friday morning at 35th District Court when describing the moment Steele pulled out his revolver and fired the weapon. Looking directly at Steele, a suspended Detroit police officer, Golematis held her right hand like a gun and testified that he told her, "I will (expletive) kill you"... Judge Ronald W. Lowe denied the request to lower Steele's $5 million bond.
"Until this shakes out, (Golematis) is entitled to walk the Earth in no fear of him,"
he said, adding that he fears for the Canton woman's safety because she's the main thing standing between Steele and his freedom... "I was not an angel by any means," she said. "I wasn't gift wrapping his stuff." With their interaction already tense, Golematis said Steele became violent when he was preparing to leave and she mentioned his Santa Claus statue that was in her garage. "I said don't forget Santa," she said, adding that he then told her to keep it. Upon saying that she didn't want it, Golematis kicked the item and said Steele responded by "freaking out." He supposedly hit her left leg with a baseball bat and then began choking her. When she fell to the ground, Golematis said she landed on the steps in the garage that led to her kitchen. "Gary Steele got on top of me and straddled me with his weight," she said, adding that he began choking her again and made several references to his former police partner, Brian Vieau, who committed suicide after killing his estranged wife, Tracy Vieau, in February 2007. "He said 'Now I know why Brian did what he did.'" Golematis said Steele fired three shots into the garage steps near the left side of her head.
After placing the gun inside her mouth and to her head, Golematis said Steele appeared to "snap" back to reality when she told him that he was hurting her. "He said 'I love you. I just love you so much. I would do anything for us.'"
Golematis testified, adding that Steele began stroking her hair and saying he should go into the home's basement to see if anything was damaged by the gunshots... Steele's attorney, David Lee, questioned her reluctance to stay in her township home due to the gunshot holes and suggested that a gun had previously been fired in her home. Golematis denied owning a gun and said there were no other gunshot holes at her residence... Julie Cook, Golematis' friend of 10 years, testified that the alleged attack is "pretty much all that (Golematis) talks about." Cook said Golematis is afraid of retaliation from other police officers and lives in a state of paranoia... "He's a good person who made a really bad choice," Golematis said... [Full article here]

MainStreet operating expenses prove too much, force Novi's Lazy Lizard out of business
The Observer
By Chris Jackett
July 10, 2008
MainStreet mainstay Lazy Lizard Cantina is no longer in business after a series of events left owner Kim Golematis on the wrong side of the locked door. The doors were locked May 16, three days after Dr. Hafeez Shaikh, a partner of the MainStreet Novi complex and manager of the Atrium of Novi, manually shut off the restaurant's gas... Shaikh also pointed out Golematis had dealt with some personal problems earlier this year when her ex-boyfriend and Detroit Police Officer Gary Steele attacked her at her Canton home March 4 after she broke off their relationship... "I'm bowing out gracefully. What's done is done. I'm OK with moving on. I don't like the way it ended... I wish them luck and I've moved on. The price we pay for peace... I just walked away from nine years of my life. I really don't have a plan right now, but that's OK because I'm home with my kids"... [Full article here]

[MI] Terrifying Officer Steele's jury trial will be in December

Trial pushed back for cop accused of torturing girlfriend
Mirror - Royal Oak,MI
BY TIFFANY L. PARKS tlparks@hometownlife.com
August 21, 2008
The jury trial for a suspended Detroit police officer accused of torturing his ex-girlfriend has been pushed back to December. The state’s case against Gary Allen Steele, 43, was scheduled to begin Aug. 13 but has been moved to Dec. 15... Steele, who has been detained on a $5 million bond since the March 4 incident, allegedly hit his former girlfriend, Kimberly Ann Golematis, with a baseball bat before firing a gun near her head. The incident took place at Golematis’ Canton home after the couple ended their six-month relationship... Steele allegedly made Golematis fall after striking her leg with a bat. Golematis said Steele then straddled her and fired three gunshots near the left side of her head. During the incident, Steele allegedly made several references to his former police partner, Brian Vieau, who committed suicide after killing his estranged wife, Tracy Vieau, in February 2007... The charges against Steele include torture and assault with intent to murder, both felonies punishable up to life in prison, and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, a 10-year felony. [Full article here]

(Thinking of Kim.)

(Previous entries here)

...After placing the gun inside her mouth and to her head, Golematis said Steele appeared to "snap" back to reality when she told him that he was hurting her. "He said 'I love you. I just love you so much. I would do anything for us'"...

...He supposedly hit her left leg with a baseball bat and then began choking her. When she fell to the ground, Golematis said she landed on the steps in the garage that led to her kitchen. "Gary Steele got on top of me and straddled me with his weight," she said, adding that he began choking her again and made several references to his former police partner, Brian Vieau, who committed suicide after killing his estranged wife, Tracy Vieau, in February 2007. "He said 'Now I know why Brian did what he did.'" Golematis said Steele fired three shots into the garage steps near the left side of her head. After placing the gun inside her mouth and to her head, Golematis said Steele appeared to "snap" back to reality when she told him that he was hurting her. "He said 'I love you. I just love you so much. I would do anything for us.'" Golematis testified, adding that Steele began stroking her hair and saying he should go into the home's basement to see if anything was damaged by the gunshots...

[MI] Media forgetting Officer Steele hit her with a baseball bat too?

Previous entry:
[MI] Officer Steele faces life for domestic torture and shots fired
...An off-duty Detroit Police officer was arrested in Canton Township Tuesday for allegedly striking his girlfriend with a baseball bat and firing three rounds from his service revolver... Assistant Prosecutor Scott Ehlfeldt argued for the high cash bond saying [she] is terrified of Steele... The charges against Steele include torture and assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, weapon/firearm discharge in or at a building, and weapons-felony firearm, punishable up to two years...
DETROIT: No pay for officer in assault case
Wayne County news briefs
Detroit Free Press
March 21, 2008
A Detroit police officer charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend was suspended Thursday without pay. The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners suspended Gary A. Steele, 42, of Canton. He was charged earlier this month with torture and assault with intent to commit murder. Steele was initially suspended with pay following his March 4 arrest for allegedly firing three shots during an argument in a subdivision near Canton Center and Cherry Hill roads. He was off duty at the time. Steele is being held in the Wayne County Jail after failing to post 10% of $5-million bond. He pleaded not guilty in 35th District Court in Plymouth and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary exam April 11. [Source here]
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K., wherever you are, I'm praying for you.

[MI] Michigan OIDV group angered by Officer Steele receiving probation deal

..."I can't believe this man was looking at charges carrying life in prison and got probation. What is the message that this has given other victims and police officers?" [Renee'] Harrington said the advocacy group [Michigan Officer Involved Domestic Violence Corp.] had contacted state legislators and other officials to try to intervene before Tuesday's sentencing - but she said no response was received...

[See previous blog posts on Steele's crimes here]

PROBATION DEAL ANGERS WOMEN'S ADVOCATE GROUP
HomeTownLife.com
By Darrell Clem dclem@hometownlife.com
June 25, 2009

A suspended Detroit police officer who had been charged with firing shots and trying to kill his ex-girlfriend inside her Canton home has been placed on probation for one year - a move that has angered at least one women's advocacy group.

Gary Allen Steele, 42, was sentenced Tuesday by Wayne County Circuit Judge Ulysses Boykin after earlier pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless discharge of a firearm.

Steele, off duty when he was accused of attacking Kimberly Ann Golematis in March 2008, could have faced penalties ranging up to life in prison if he had been convicted of original charges including torture, assault with intent to murder and other felony counts.

Golematis didn't appear for Tuesday's sentencing, Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Maria Miller said, but the victim had said during an earlier preliminary hearing that Steele was "a good person who made a really bad choice."

Nonetheless, a network calling itself the Michigan Officer Involved Domestic Violence Corp. has criticized what it considers a two-tiered system that favors law-enforcement officers charged with such crimes.

"It is an outrage," the group's director, Renee Harrington, said. "I can't believe this man was looking at charges carrying life in prison and got probation. What is the message that this has given other victims and police officers?"

Harrington said the advocacy group had contacted state legislators and other officials to try to intervene before Tuesday's sentencing - but she said no response was received.

Steele, who earlier spent months in jail before he was able to post bond, could have faced 90 days in jail when he was sentenced Tuesday. He was ordered by Boykin not to contact the victim.

Miller said Boykin accepted the no contest plea because there's still potential for civil action against Steele.

"The plea was offered by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office in the best interests of justice," Miller said.

Steele remains suspended and still could face other disciplinary actions, according to the Detroit Police Department.

Golematis testified during an earlier preliminary hearing that Steele choked her, straddled her when she fell to the ground and fired shots near the left side of her head. The incident happened when Steele went to her home to get the last of his belongings after their relationship dissolved.

Golematis earlier testified that Steele appeared to "snap" back to reality after she told him that he was hurting her. She said he told her that he loved her and "would do anything for us."

dclem@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-2238 [LINK]