The resentencing of Chad Curtis on a prison term of seven to 15 years in prison for criminal sexual conduct has been pushed back at least to June 30.

 

The Michigan Supreme Court has abolished mandatory sentencing guidelines, leaving advisory guidelines, giving judges more latitude in sentencing. The ruling led Curtis, and many other inmates, to seek resentencing.

 

Judge Amy McDowell, who gave the original sentence and will do the resentencing, told Curtis she wanted him to be clear that her court was restrained by the former mandatory guidelines at his 2013 sentencing.

 

If the current advisory guidelines were in effect then, McDowell said she would have “imposed a more reasonable and proportionate sentence.” At the original sentencing, she said she seriously considered going over the guidelines, but it would have given him an avenue of appeal, so she did not.

 

Curtis still has the right to resentencing. He has the right to ask for an attorney within 14 days, and also to withdraw his motion for resentencing within 21 days. If he asks for an attorney, that will likely push the resentencing date back further, McDowell said.  She stressed that the resentencing could not be affected by anything that happened after the original sentence was handed down, Asked by McDowell if he needed more time to write a sentencing memorandum, as well a possible brief, Curtis replied he did not.

 

Assistant Prosecutor Chris Elsworth said McDowell technically has the option to raise, lower or keep the original sentence, but is not likely that she would leave it the same. //

Curtis was found guilty of six charges of criminal sexual conduct of three Lakewood High School female students after a week long trial in 2013.

 

All of the charges came from when Curtis was an unpaid volunteer in the Lakewood School weight room.  During the trial, the victims testified that on separate occasions, Curtis took them into the windowless training room to help them with exercises to recover from injuries, and instead inappropriately touched them with sexual intent. He was removed from his weight room duties by school officials when the allegations of inappropriate touching of the female students surfaced.

Curtis was a Major League Ball player from 1992 to 2001 with several teams, including the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees.