As expected, crime and court stories in The Oakland Press had a strong draw on readers in 2020.
Like in prior years, the majority of our online stories generating the most interest covered homicides reported in Oakland County. Yet other crime and court-related reporting was also quite popular with readers. Hereâs a look back at some of those other attention-grabbers from the past year.
Tina Talbot, convicted of killing husband, released from prison
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After serving the minimum of a 20 months to 15 years sentence for fatally shooting her husband, Tina Talbot, 53, walked out of the Womenâs Huron Valley Correctional Facility on Nov. 17.
An investigation is underway by the Oakland County Sheriffâs Office after two men were found with puncture and slash wounds early Wednesday morning in the lobby of a Pontiac apartment complex.
Sheriffâs deputies were called to the 200 block of Carriage Circle along with a crew from the Waterford Regional Fire Department to help the two men, shortly after 3:30 a.m. According to the sheriffâs office, one of them sustained a puncture wound to his hand, upper right arm and jaw, and the other had a slash wound to his chest.
Deputies determined that the men had been smoking marijuana on the third floor of the complex when a fight ensued. A broken mirror covered in blood was found in an abandoned apartment on the third floor, the sheriffâs office said.
A 59-year-old West Bloomfield man was critically injured Tuesday night when he was hit by a vehicle while walking along Haggerty Road in West Bloomfield Township, authorities said.
According to the Oakland County Sheriffâs Office, the man was in the roadway near Crumb Road, just north of Maple Road, when he was struck by a 2019 Dodge Ram. The area has minimal lighting and the pedestrian was wearing dark clothes, the sheriffâs office said.
The driver of the Dodge Ram, a 44-year-old West Bloomfield woman, was not injured. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash, the sheriffâs office said.
A plea deal is apparently off the table for a former teacher Jason William Dean, charged with having sexual relations with a 14-year-old student a decade ago.
Last month, court action indicated an agreement regarding sentencing had been reached that, according to Oakland County Circuit Judge Edward Sosnick, âthe officer-in-charge and the victim have no problem with.â
However, court records now show a trial is scheduled for next year.
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Deanâs attorney Nicole Blank Becker said earlier that her client was prepared to take responsibility for the allegations but requested a Cobbs agreement before doing so. A Cobbs agreement allows a person to know what the likely sentence will be, and if the judge sentences outside the guidelines the plea can be withdrawn.