GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Felony cases against three men charged with rioting and related crimes in downtown Grand Rapids have advanced to the next level.
Sean P. Mulhall, Byron L. Castaneda and Cole R. Taylor all had hearing this week in Grand Rapids District Court.
They are among 17 adults charged in the May 30-31 riot in downtown Grand Rapids. Their cases were bound over to Kent County Circuit Court, where they can stand trial or enter pleas.
The three all face one count of riot, a 10-year felony.
Mulhall, 33, faces an additional charge of third-degree arson. Police say he targeted a building at 1 North Division Avenue housing U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the Michigan Secretary of State office. Third-degree arson is a 10-year felony. He was charged in mid-August and is free on bond.
Castaneda, 21, is also charged with breaking into F. David Barney Clothiers on Ottawa Avenue NW south of Pearl Street. Breaking and entering a building with the intent to commit larceny is a 10-year felony.
A separate charge accuses him of lying to a peace officer, which is a high-court misdemeanor punishable by two years in prison. Castaneda was booked into the Kent County Jail in mid-June but has since bonded out.
Taylor, 24, was booked into the Kent County Jail two weeks ago. He was released on a personal recognizance bond.
Additional charges against him include larceny from a motor vehicle for taking a body armor vest from a Wyoming police vehicle at Ottawa Avenue and Pearl Street NW. It is a five-year felony.
Taylor is also charged with receiving and concealing stolen property, another five-year felony.
At the time of their arrests, the three men listed addresses in Grand Rapids.
Seventeen adults and a 16-year-old girl have been charged with riot and related crimes amid the unrest that overtook downtown Grand Rapids May 30-31.
Investigators continue to look for those involved in the rioting, which followed a peaceful protest to denounce the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
Those charged range in age from 16 to 38. The Grand Rapids Police Department has posted scores of photos to its Facebook page looking for help identifying rioters.
Of the adults charged, 14 have now had their cases moved to Kent County Circuit Court. Two have not been arrested and a third has a bench warrant out for his arrest for missing an August court hearing.
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