Mateen Cleaves' criminal case on hold after appeal
Former basketball star Mateen Cleaves' sexual assault case is now on hold as a judge waits for a higher court to weigh in on an appeal filed by the defense.
Cleaves’ attorney, Frank Manley, wanted the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office disqualified from the case, but 67th District Judge M. Cathy Dowd denied his request last month.
“If the appellate judge finds ‘Judge Dowd you were wrong,’ ... we gotta start all over again,” Dowd said in her Flint courtroom today. “And I’m not willing to subject either the alleged victim or Mr. Cleaves or this court to that.”
She granted the defense’s motion to stay the case today and also denied a motion from prosecutors attempting to prevent the defense from asking questions about the accuser’s mental health.
Cleaves is accused of sexually assaulting a 24-year-old woman, who is not being named by the Free Press because she is the alleged victim of a sex crime, in a motel near Flint last year and faces multiple felonies. Prosecutors said Cleaves, 39, of Grand Blanc met the woman at a golf outing last September, had drinks with her and others then took her to a motel where she was allegedly kept against her will.
Cleaves, who led the Michigan State Spartans in 2000 to the NCAA basketball championship, maintains his innocence in the case, which has slowly been working its way through the court system.
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The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office became involved last October after the Genesee County prosecutor requested a transfer because of a possible conflict of interest with a potential witness in the case.
Cleaves faces charges of unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration, second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The counts are punishable by up to 10-15 years in prison.
Contact Elisha Anderson: eanderson@freepress.com or 313-222-5144. Follow her on Twitter @elishaanderson.