LAKE COUNTY, Michigan — A Grand Rapids man, Devinci Osiris Dumas, was found guilty of assault charges against a conservation officer, the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) reports.
Dumas stood in front of a jury in Lake County on Friday and was convicted of various felony charges.
The 21-year-old assaulted DNR conservation officer Josiah Killingbeck in March. Killingbeck was initially responding to a report of a vehicle parked near a swamp near 3 Mile Rd., Michigan DNR reported. When he arrived, he found a nearby car had crashed after failing to stop at a nearby stop sign.
Dumas and a 19-year-old woman were inside the vehicle. Killingbeck arrested Dumas, the driver, for having open intoxicants in the car and for providing false information to a peace officer.
Killingbeck placed Dumas in the passenger seat of his patrol car, with his hands cuffed behind him and seat beat secured around him.
As Killingbeck drove to Lake County Jail in Baldwin, Dumas freed himself from the seatbelt. He turned himself in his seat so he could kick the officer in the head multiple times.
Killingbeck credits two passersby with saving his life. They were able to restrain Dumas and help him to safety. He went to the hospital for evaluation and was soon released.
Now, Dumas is convicted of multiple felony charges, including:
- Assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation; penalties include 10 years in prison or up to $5,000 in fines.
- Assaulting, resisting, obstructing causing injury to a police officer; penalties include four years in prison and/or up to $5,000 in fines.
“The department and community are fortunate that our officer is doing well and has since resumed regular duties,” said Lt. Joe Molnar, DNR district law supervisor.
“We’re grateful, not only for the training and equipment our officers receive to ensure their safety while on patrol, but also to the two citizens who stopped and assisted the officer in getting the assailant back under control.”
Dumas is still awaiting his sentencing date.
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