Facing up to four years in prison, James Alan Hatchew was acquitted by a Mecosta County jury yesterday, following a two-day trial. Mecosta County prosecutors charged Hatchew with two felonies in February 2021, after police officers were dispatched to his home to intervene in a dispute over snowmobiles, and one of the responding officers accused him of assaulting her.

 

For nearly a decade, Hatchew had stored and maintained snowmobiles on his property for an out-of-town acquaintance who seldom used them.  After several years passed without the owner using the machines or otherwise contacting Hatchew, Hatchew used his own resources and expertise to maintain them and keep them from falling into disrepair.

 

When the owner showed up in February 2021 and suddenly demanded Hatchew return the vehicles without compensation, Hatchew regrettably became frustrated.  What started as a civil dispute quickly escalated when a Mecosta County deputy arrived at his house to speak with him and the other parties to the dispute.  While all witnesses agreed that Hatchew willingly invited the deputy into his home to view the disputed snowmobiles, accounts of events that followed differed wildly.  The deputy reported and later testified at trial that Hatchew “shoved” her, slammed his house door so hard against her body that the door came off the hinges, and broke her finger while struggling against her attempts to handcuff him.

 

Hatchew took the stand in his own defense and denied all the accusations of resistance and assault.  The jury took less than ninety minutes to return a “not guilty” verdict on both counts.

 

Attorney Heath Lynch of Springstead Bartish Borgula & Lynch, PLLC, Hatchew’s trial attorney, said, “The real problem here for the prosecutor, who really did the best he could with these facts, was a lack of corroboration.  The deputy claimed Jim, a large man, shoved her with both hands in the back, but both civilian eyewitnesses testified they saw no physical contact at all between the two.  Jurors who spoke to us after the verdict expressed that they believed there was ‘reasonable doubt’ when it came to the deputy’s story. When Hatchew took the stand, his testimony undeniably impacted the jury.”

 

Hatchew said, “I just wanted my name cleared.  I’ve been dragged through the mud and my reputation and business have suffered over the last year.” 

 

Lynch also stated, “I was happy Jim took the stand to tell his story, as I was confident he would come across as the earnest, humble, and likeable guy we have all known him to be.  You know a defendant made a good impression on a trial jury when, following the verdict, one of the jurors went out of her way to not only congratulate him, but to hug him in the hallway.  He has been through a lot and I am very grateful this is over for him.”