Michigan Man Indicted For Assaulting Federal Employee

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan today returned an indictment charging Ronnie Edward Duke, age 46, of Fenton, Michigan, with assaulting, resisting, or impeding
certain officers or employees, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment alleges that on February 24, 2014, in the Eastern District of Michigan, Duke forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan. 

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

Because of the recusal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, this investigation is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew B. Kall and Thomas P. Weldon, following investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshals Service.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.