The state Court of Appeals has upheld the firearms and assault convictions of a prominent Detroit political consultant accused of attacking his girlfriend – a former state lawmaker.
Ex-state Representative Mary Waters returned home to the apartment she shared with Sam Riddle and found him in bed with another woman.
The couple fought.
She left andcalled 9-1-1 after he pointed shotgun at her.
Waters later tried to recant her accusation, but the prosecutor went ahead with the trial and Riddle was convicted.
Riddle challenged the convictions on several grounds – including Waters’ statement that she never actually feared being hurt.
The appeals court said that’s not relevant –what matters is whether a rational person might reasonably have feared the situation.
Riddle is currently in a federal prison serving a simultaneous sentence on bribery and extortion convictions.
Waters has tried to retract her guilty plea to corruption charges.
