A 34-year-old Carsonville man pleaded guilty to three felonies during his circuit court pretrial hearing on Wednesday, February 28.
By agreeing to the offered plea deal, Joshua Behnke, accompanied in court by his attorney Steven Simasko, agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to one count of third offense-domestic violence, a five-year felony, and two counts of felonious assault with a dangerous weapon, which is considered a four-year felony. In return, Behnke had five other charges against him dismissed, including three felony weapon charges, a count of reckless use of a firearm and a count of assault with a dangerous weapon.
Behnke’s case began shortly after noon on Wednesday, January 17 when a 41-year-old Deckerville woman called Sanilac County Central Dispatch to report she had just fled her home with her two children following a domestic assault. The woman noted that they had been able to leave the location and were safely at a home near Carsonville.
Upon meeting with the woman in Carsonville, officers gathered enough evidence to show a domestic violence incident had occurred, with the woman assaulted and her car shot at multiple times as she drove her and her children to safety.
Behnke will be due back in court for his sentencing on April 10, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.
