A St. Clair County man has pleaded no contest to three charges stemming from a November 2023 domestic violence incident, avoiding five other charges including assault with intent to murder.
Malik Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, August 19, on a charge of assaulting/resisting a police officer causing serious impairment, obstruction of justice and domestic violence. He had been scheduled to stand trial this month but instead had a July 1 plea hearing.
Lewis was initially handed eight charges after officers were called to Desmond Landing, along the St. Clair River in the 1400 block of Port Huron’s 4th Street around 7:45 p.m. on November 21, 2023, to respond to a domestic assault report. The first officer to arrive saw the suspect, the then 27-year-old Lewis, fleeing from the location along the shoreline in the tall grass. He followed him, attempting to make contact as another officer checked on the assault victim.
After the assault was confirmed, the second officer joined in the efforts to locate Lewis, with Lewis being informed he was under arrest for domestic assault when he was found. However, Lewis, who had made his way into the shallow water along shore, refused to obey officers’ commands.
When he came within reach of an officer on the shore, the officer attempted to grab him by the wrist, only for Lewis to grab the officer, pull him into the water and stand over top of him as he held the officer under water for several seconds. Lewis released the officer, fleeing again as more officers arrived at the scene, but was caught and taken into custody after a short foot chase.
The officer that he assaulted did not suffer any major injuries during the incident. Assaulting/resisting an officer causing serious impairment is a felony that carries up to 15 years of jail time and/or a fine of no more than $10,000.
