HARRISON – Despite efforts to make the courtroom more comfortable to testify in for the now 7-year-old boy who has a father and uncle accused of abuse against him, the boy was not able to testify due to memory lapses.
Norm Gage, prosecutor on case that ended in hung jury
After the efforts Friday evening to solicit testimony in a courtroom closed to all but the jury, attorneys and court personnel did not work out, 55th Circuit Court Judge Roy Mienk had the preliminary examination put on record. The preliminary examination also had been closed during the boy’s testimony due to his age.
The courtroom was closed for more than an hour while the attorneys attempted to solicit information on the facts of the case from the child.
Gerald Hall, the father of the boy, and Glen Hall, his uncle, are facing charges of first-degree child abuse and torture in connection with an incident alleged to have happened around Oct. 10, 2008.
Gerald Hall, 37, and Glen Hall, 47, are being charged with child abuse for allegedly causing second- and third-degree burns to a then-six-year-old. The first-degree child abuse is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Glen Hall’s attorney, Dwight Carpenter, needed was to be off for medical reasons after Monday so the desire was to get all testimony and closing arguments in before he had to leave. Gerald Hall was represented by Todd Diederich, who is a partner in the law firm of Dreyer, Hovey & Diederich, LLP.
Norm Gage, Gladwin County assistant prosecutor, was the primary prosecutor on the case with Gladwin County Prosecutor Aaron Miller also in the courtroom as the specially appointed prosecutor on the case. Clare County Prosecutor Michelle Ambrozaitis removed herself and her office from prosecuting the case due to a conflict when she was in private practice.
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