MOUNT PLEASANT (AP) - A former student government leader at Central Michigan University was sentenced last Friday to a year in jail for a misdemeanor in an assault case that was reopened after misconduct by the prosecutor.
Ian Elliott will get credit for more than five months in prison. He could be released from the Isabella County jail by June with good behavior credits.
Elliott last year pleaded no contest to third-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony. But state police subsequently learned that Brian Kolodziej, an assistant attorney general, was having an intimate relationship with the victim in the case.
Attorney General Dana Nessel allowed Elliott to withdraw his no-contest plea, clearing a path to a new deal for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a misdemeanor.
Elliott will be on a non-public sex offender registry for 15 years.
The state's investigation showed Kolodziej improperly influenced witnesses, defense attorney Joe Barberi said.
Kolodziej quit his job in September. He acknowledged the relationship with Elliott's accuser during an effort to get unemployment benefits.
Published: Tue, Feb 11, 2020
