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Updated: 8/31/2009 12:44:02 PM
Milan man faces felony charges
By Art Aisner
Special Writer
A Milan man is scheduled to appear in Washtenaw County District Court this week to face felony criminal charges related to a string of home invasions and vehicle burglaries that plagued the city earlier this year.

Michael Andrew Webber, 19, is charged with four counts of breaking and entering a vehicle with damage to the vehicle; three counts of second-degree home invasion; and two counts of larceny from a motor vehicle in three separate cases, court records show.

A preliminary hearing in all three cases was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in District Court, but it was unlikely to yield much new information, said Stewart Isley, Webber’s attorney.

Court records indicate Webber already waived his right to a preliminary exam within two weeks of his arraignment in August, and Isley said Webber will likely waive his initial preliminary exam and head to trial.

“He’s a good kid, with a few issues,” Isley said without elaborating last week. “He hasn’t been determined to be guilty by anyone and we’ll work within the system to do what’s best for him.”

Isley said he and Webber met with police officials and prosecutors at the Washtenaw County Jail last week in preparation for the hearing. But neither he nor police officials would comment about the session.

Webber remains in custody on $10,000, 10 percent bond, records indicate.

His arrest in late July culminated a lengthy investigation by the Milan Police Department that required perseverance and hard-nose police work, Chief Jeffrey Lewis said shortly after prosecutors authorized charges.

The most serious charge of home invasion stems from a break-in Jan. 1, court records show. He is accused of breaking into a vehicle within the city limits on Jan. 5, and was again linked to vehicle break-in May 11, records show.

Further details about the crimes were not available.

Just over a year ago, Webber was charged with two counts of second-degree home invasion and one count of third-degree home invasion. Court records indicate he entered a plead deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to probation in Washtenaw County Circuit Court in April after serving three-weeks in the Washtenaw County Jail.

He was out on bond at the time the specific crimes were committed, and Lewis said the police investigation is ongoing.

It is unclear if Webber had any accomplices.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Milan Police Department at 439-1551.