Ann Arbor, Michigan – A lawyer for laid off people michigan Football coach Sharon Moore said Thursday she is seeking to have the home invasion and other charges against him dismissed.
Authorities say Moore entered a woman’s apartment on Dec. 10 and blamed her for losing her job that day, then grabbed a butter knife and kitchen scissors and threatened to kill herself.
Moore was fired The university’s athletic director was cited in the dismissal letter for having a personal relationship with the woman – who was a football staff member – and for lying during the investigation.
Moore, 39, faces three chargesThat includes aggravated home invasion and stalking. He has pleaded innocent and will have to wear a tracking device while out on bail.
The probable cause conference was adjourned until March 19 as the defense continued to gather evidence Moore’s attorney, Ellen Michaels, said he would focus on the details of the situation. Michaels said he filed a complaint Thursday before Washtenaw County 14A-1 District Court Judge J. filed a motion seeking to dismiss the arrest report at a separate hearing scheduled for February 17 before Cedric Simpson.
Moore will next appear in court March 19 for a probable cause hearing.
Michaels later told reporters that Moore was arrested based on “misleading statements”.
When charges were filed, Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Kati Rzemierski quoted Moore as saying to the woman, “My blood is on your hands.”
Michaels, who spoke outside the courthouse after the status conference, took issue with that account and said the staff member’s statements were misleading and “filled with inaccuracies.”
“The arrest must be quashed, meaning the arrest is not lawful, and any evidence taken or obtained as a result of that arrest must be quashed and suppressed,” Michaels said. “We are asking that the complaint be dismissed. It is our belief… that without these misleading statements and omissions, there would be no probable cause for these charges.”
Moore was standing nearby, but declined to comment.
Moore arrived in court on Wednesday accompanied by his family, including his wife, Kelly, with whom he has three young children. The courthouse is less than 4 miles from Michigan Stadium, where Moore led the Wolverines in scoring the past two seasons and earned a salary of nearly $6 million.
It all ended on December 10, when the university said the staff member disclosed the inappropriate relationship. The school’s human relations department had previously investigated the situation, but both Moore and the staff member then denied it, and no evidence was found.
The staff member told officers that she had broken up with Moore on Dec. 8, but she began to fear for her safety when he continued trying to contact her via phone and text. According to the prosecutor’s story, this led her to go to school authorities.
Michaels said in court that the defense is seeking school phone records and information from the Title IX investigation, so the delay is needed. Prosecutors have until Feb. 2 to respond to that request.
Kyle Whittingham, who coached utah Michigan has had new coaches for two decades.
ESPN’s Dan Wetzel and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
