Four female MSU students pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor in connection with the death of an 18-year-old Bay City man.
Nicole Bukowski, 21, Cassandra Duggan, 20, Laurel Trezise, 20, and Sara Kaufman, 21, originally faced felony charges for running an unlicensed bar at a party in their East Lansing apartment in October. Eric Blair, a Delta College student, attended the party before drowning in the Red Cedar River.
East Lansing’s 54-B District Court Judge Richard Ball accepted the four women’s pleas of guilty to the misdemeanor charge of providing alcohol to a minor, dropping the felony charges.
The crime carries up to 60 days in jail, a $1,000 fine and community service. The original felony carried up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Although Ball said he would not sentence the women to any jail time, a sentencing date has not yet been set.
MSU student Nicholaus Belski also pleaded guilty earlier this month to a misdemeanor for providing alcohol to a minor in connection with Blair’s death. He will be sentenced May 13.
Ingham County Assistant Prosecutor Joyce Draganchuk said prosecutors want everyone treated the same in this case.
Ball could require three of the women, who were under 21 in October, to participate in the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, a probationary-type program that allows charges to be dismissed upon completion. Ball would decide the length of the probation period.
“They have to keep clean for a while and their record will be wiped out,” said Bernie Finn, an attorney representing Trezise.
Bukowski, who was 21 at the time of the incident, could go though a similar program. Larry Emery, Duggan’s attorney, said Bukowski most likely will have a delayed sentence of up to one year.
Robert Filiatrault, an MSU-Detroit College of Law professor, said pleading guilty to lesser charges is not uncommon.
“A person may plead guilty, number one, because they are guilty,” he said. “And number two, because the court will take into consideration during sentencing that they owned up to their own doing.”
Finn said the lawyers and the four students felt pleading guilty to the misdemeanor was a better option than facing jail time.
“I don’t think any litigant wants to expose themselves to being found guilty of a felony,” he said. “For someone who pleads guilty to a misdemeanor, it brings an end to an unpleasant experience.”
