By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
KALAMAZOO — Former Fabius Township Supervisor Ken Linn was found guilty of all four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Kalamazoo County Ninth Circuit Court Thursday.
The 12-person jury returned the unanimous verdict at 12:45 p.m. Thursday, after about three hours of deliberations Thursday morning.
Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Barnard denied bond for Linn, saying the court “could not find clear and convincing evidence that the defendant does not pose a danger, particularly given the guidelines, of the risk of flight.” Following the verdict, the 58-year-old Linn was detained, handcuffed and led out of the courtroom.
The verdict caps off what was an emotional trial for both sides that lasted seven days, five days of which saw testimony from multiple different witnesses associated with the case, including the victim, and expert testimony.
Sentencing in the case is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16 at 9 a.m. in Kalamazoo County Ninth Circuit Court. Linn could face upwards of 10 years in prison.
Linn was originally charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct back in October 2022, the charges stemming from an incident that occurred in Kalamazoo County on Aug. 14, 2010 following a golf outing at Sauganash Country Club in Three Rivers. Linn was accused of assaulting a woman, who was 22 at the time, in her Portage apartment while she was physically helpless due to extreme intoxication and was unable to give consent, resulting in physical injury.
The case is one of many that has been brought to the courts under the state’s sexual assault kit initiative, which investigated sexual assaults related to previously-untested sexual assault evidence kits. The victim’s kit in the case, which was completed the day after the incident, was first submitted to Michigan State Police’s forensics lab in 2014 for testing, sent back untested in 2015, re-submitted for testing in 2016, and then re-submitted again in October 2021 under the initiative. The results of the 2021 test resulted in the charges against Linn.
Special Assistant Attorney General Erin House, the prosecutor for the case, declined comment on the verdict following the hearing, deferring to the Michigan Attorney General’s office, who has not provided comment as of publication of this story.
Michael Hills, Linn’s attorney, said he would appeal the verdict.
“We’re obviously very disappointed with the verdict, and we’re setting up for our appeal,” Hills said, adding that paperwork for the appeal would be filed at the sentencing hearing.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@acnccrtest.c1.biz.