Trials of Detroit beating suspects to begin in August

DETROIT -- Beating victim Steven Utash will be transferred to the Detroit Medical Center's Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan this week to begin treatment, his daughter said Monday as four suspected assailants were arraigned in circuit court.

Utash, 54, was beaten by a mob of men after he got out of his truck to help a 10-year-old boy he hit after the child darted into traffic in Detroit on April 2. The Clinton Township man sustained severe head injuries, his family has said.

Mandi Emerick said via her fund-raiser website that her father will be transferred to the rehab facility, which specializes in neurological injuries, this week.

"I am beyond excited to have him out of the ICU and into a setting where everyone is dedicated to his success," Emerick wrote. "I hope with time there he will regain his personality and memories as well as motor skills. The recovery journey has begun and we are all hoping for the best."

Emerick said Utash was evaluated Friday by an institute doctor.

"Please continue to send good vibes to our family, your support has been overwhelming and appreciated," she wrote. "Thank you all so very much."

The institute is a 94-bed inpatient hospital and one of the nation's largest freestanding rehabilitation hospitals, according to its website.

Four men will face August trials on charges of assault with attempt to murder in the beating.

Wonzey Saffold, 30; James Davis, 24; Latrez Cummings, 19, and Bruce Wimbush, 17, stood silently Monday before Wayne County Circuit Judge James Callahan as their pleas were entered for them, trial dates set and bonds lowered.

In a decision that surprised attorneys, Callahan reduced Cummings' bond from $500,000 to $25,000, with the requirement that he wear a GPS tether.

Lawyers for Wimbush and Davis, who moments earlier had their clients' bonds decreased from $500,000 to $100,000, tried to get the same deal but were denied. Saffold's bond stayed the same after his lawyer asked to postpone his bond hearing.

Because the defendants, in some cases, gave statements implicating each other, there will be two four-day trials; one with Saffold and Cummings the week of Aug. 18 and the other two the following week. Each of the defendants faces charges of assault with intent to murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm.

Saffold faces an additional charge of using a firearm in a felony, as a witness alleges he waved a gun during the incident.

Callahan didn't explain why Cummings' bond was so much lower than the others, but he did say he was considering each case individually. Cummings' brother, Dulynta Green, 16, said after court that he believes Cummings will be acquitted.

Separately, a 16-year-old is set for a June trial in juvenile court on charges of assault and ethnic intimidation. He is black; Utash is white.

Monday's hearings were relatively low-key a week after the four men's preliminary hearings, where courtroom disruptions frustrated a district court judge and camera crews received a lewd gesture from Saffold.

Callahan threatened a night in jail and $250 bond for anyone making a peep in the gallery.

The four men's next court date is an 8:30 a.m. June 2 final conference.