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Rebecca Deters with her attorney, Terry Shaw.
Manslaughter case heads to trial.
#OceanaCountyCourtNews
By Allison Scarbrough. Editor.
HART — The homicide/involuntary manslaughter case against a 41-year-old Hesperia woman accused of the death of a 55-year-old disabled man is headed to a jury trial in 27th Circuit Court.
Rebecca Ann Deters, of 5030 E. Loop Rd., is charged with homicide/involuntary manslaughter for the Jan. 4, 2017 death of Scott McCallum. Deters appeared in court Monday, Sept. 11, for a status conference with her attorney, Terry Shaw.
Deters faces up to 15 years in prison for the felony, and she is also charged with misdemeanors of failure to report the discovery of a dead body and attempted removal of a dead body without the medical examiner’s permission.
The prosecution was offered a plea agreement in which Deters could plead to the felony homicide/manslaughter charge, and the other two counts would be dismissed, previously said Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon. She would not have to serve more than two years in prison for her minimum sentence.
Deters, who was McCallum’s legal caregiver, “negligently failed to comply with her obligation to care for him, and that resulted in his death,” said Bizon previously.
Deters cared for bedridden McCallum, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, in his son’s home, Bizon said. She was in a relationship with his son.
She failed to comply with her obligations under her contract for care, Bizon said. She did not report McCallum’s death right away. Police were notified two days later, Jan. 6, he said. She tried to get the funeral home to remove McCallum’s body without a medical examination.
When a person dies, if they are not attended by a doctor, the person who discovers the death has to call 911, Bizon said.
Deters is lodged in the Oceana County Jail on a $150,000/cash/surety/10 percent bond.
A settlement conference is scheduled for Oct. 9 at 9:30 a.m.
This story is copyrighted © 2017, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
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