By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
TRENTON — A scuffle and a shooting in November that sent a man to the hospital and initially charged a Flat Rock man and woman with multiple felonies including attempted murder ended in Wayne County Circuit Court with guilty pleas to two weapons possession charges.
Berquette Ali Wahla, 22, and Patsy Carol Gregg, 50, were quickly taken into custody in November 2013 after confronting a 31-year-old man outside of the Nottingham Knolls apartments in the 3600 block of Van Horn Road. Police Chief Steve Voss said the encounter was likely “drug or gang” related, and a witness described for police an encounter that ended in gunfire.
Wahla and Gregg were located the next morning at the Walnut Creek apartments in Flat Rock, and arraigned on multiple counts before 33rd District Court Judge Michael McNally.
Wahla was charged with six felonies including assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and as a habitual, third-time offender. Gregg faced five charges including assault with intent to do great bodily harm and possession of a weapon by a felon.
The matter was bound over to Wayne County Circuit Court in December, at which time the charge of attempted murder against Wahla was dismissed, as were charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Maria Miller, Wahla was bound over on just two weapons charges that were dismissed on April 16 by Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Van Houten.
“On the day of trial these charges were dismissed,” Miller said, “because we did not have sufficient evidence to prove his case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Likewise, three assault charges against Gregg were dismissed by the prosecutor. Instead Gregg pleaded guilty to two weapons counts on April 15. Gregg will be sentenced on May 13, the punishment to be determined after a review by the probation department.
(James Mitchell can be reached at [email protected].)