Man pleads ‘no contest’ to assault with intent to commit great bodily harm

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

Pulsipher

HART — A 57-year-old Hesperia man pleaded “no contest” to a felony of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder during a final pretrial hearing in Oceana County’s 51st Circuit Court Monday, April 22.

Joseph Owen Pulsipher, of 9430 E. Filmore Rd., agreed to serve a five to 10 year prison term, said Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon. Pulsipher remains lodged in the Oceana County Jail on a $250,000 bond. The charge stems from a violent encounter with another man over a woman. He was originally charged with assault with intent to murder, which will be dismissed in exchange for his plea to the lesser charge.

Pulsipher had previously rejected the plea offer, and the matter was scheduled for trial next month. In light of the plea, the trial will not happen. 

“(Pulsipher) was making allegations of an affair,” previously said Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast.

The assault of the 64-year-old Hesperia man occurred, April 1, 2023 in the 6500 block of East M 20 in Newfield Township. 

“Deputies were dispatched to the residence, and the resident there said that a second gentleman pulled into the driveway and began an altercation that turned into a felonious assault with death threats,” said Sheriff Mast. 

“The suspect donned a knife. The victim defended himself by striking him several times during the altercation. After the physical altercation, the suspect got up from the ground; got into his van; and rammed the victim’s pickup truck. He rammed several times, and the victim had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck by the suspect’s vehicle on multiple occasions. The victim said he then proceeded to grab a baseball bat to defend himself. He did use the bat to break out the window of the van as the suspect was attempting to run him over.”

Both Pulsipher’s and the victim’s vehicles were damaged, and both men received medical treatment, said the sheriff. 

Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. 

The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.

Alternative methods:

• We can send you an invoice each month, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454.

• We also accept Venmo payments.

We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress).  We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

_____

This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2024, 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.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.

fb.com/stars