FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Prosecutor Tim Rutkowski, 989.269.9255
On July 13, 2022, Prosecutor Timothy J. Rutkowski charged Brent Lee Piscitello of Warren, with one misdemeanor count of Domestic Violence, Second Offense, based upon an investigation by the Port Austin Police Department stemming from an incident on July 12. On that date, Port Austin Police responded to a local motel in the village on a report of a domestic disturbance. After interviewing the victim and a 17 year-old eyewitness who was in Port Austin on vacation from Dearborn, Port Austin Police arrested Piscitello for Domestic Violence. Piscitello had previously been convicted of Domestic Violence involving the same victim in St. Clair Shores on October 1, 2021.
On September 27, 2022, a jury trial commenced in the 73-B District Court of Huron County with the Honorable David B. Herrington presiding. Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Christopher Hunter and Alexander Pahany presented witness testimony from multiple witnesses, including Chief Dale Hartsell of the Port Austin Police Department, who displayed his Bodycam video to the jury, and the victim. On direct examination, the eyewitness testified that while she was lounging in the pool area, she heard an argument and turned in time to see Piscitello backhand the victim three times. She immediately contacted her father, an off-duty Farmington Hills Police Officer, who called 911. Lead Dispatcher Sara Lautner from Huron County Central Dispatch presented the 911 call to the jury. Additionally, Officer Travis Kaufman from the St. Clair Shores Police Department testified about Piscitello’s previous arrest for Domestic Violence on the same victim. Piscitello testified on his own behalf, denying that he assaulted the victim. After deliberating for approximately 90 minutes, the jury of five women and one man returned a verdict of guilty.
Sentencing is set for October 13, 2022, in the 73-B District Court. Domestic Violence with the enhancement for being a Second Offense is a misdemeanor carrying a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1000.
