Police: Brighton Carnival Closes For Sexual Misconduct
POSTED: Wednesday, August 1, 2007
UPDATED: 8:37 am EDT August 2,
2007
Police said they closed Brighton's Summerfest carnival Saturday afternoon after two of the carnival employees were arrested on charges of supplying alcohol to two local teenage girls.
Police said one of the employees allegedly had sex with a 15-year-old Brighton girl.
Juan Carlos McCray, 22, and Robert Villarreal, 20, were both arraigned and remain in the Livingston County Jail.
McCray was charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, which involves penetration, and supplying alcohol to a minor.
Villarreal was charged with supplying alcohol to a minor.
Livingston Police Chief Tom Wightman said "The two carnival employees supplied the girls, 15 and 16, alcohol and then one of the workers had sex with one of the girls."
Wightman said they weighed all their options and the decision to close down the carnival was in the best interest of the public's safety, especially because children were involved.
Wightman said another factor was the city had requested a list of the carnival employees so they could do background checks. The event organizers supplied them an incomplete list that did not include McCray.
The carnival owner, Bob Halifax, said he was not happy with the way police handled the situation.
He said there is a $20,000 cancellation fee with the contract and if the fee is not covered, his company, Family Fun Tyme Shows, will pursue legal actions against the city.
Halifax insists that a complete list of the employee's names was supplied to the city for background checks.
Police said the incident occurred on the grand opening of the carnival.
Police said learned about the incident when the 15-year-old girl went home and told her mom what had happened.
McCray remains jailed on a $200,000 cash bond.
Villarreal remains lodged on a $20,000 cash bond.
McCray is considered a habitual offender because he has a prior conviction for carrying a concealed weapon.
Summerfest remained open throughout the weekend, with the exception of the carnival; which is where the suspects operated the rides.
Police said one of the employees allegedly had sex with a 15-year-old Brighton girl.
Juan Carlos McCray, 22, and Robert Villarreal, 20, were both arraigned and remain in the Livingston County Jail.
McCray was charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, which involves penetration, and supplying alcohol to a minor.
Villarreal was charged with supplying alcohol to a minor.
Livingston Police Chief Tom Wightman said "The two carnival employees supplied the girls, 15 and 16, alcohol and then one of the workers had sex with one of the girls."
Wightman said they weighed all their options and the decision to close down the carnival was in the best interest of the public's safety, especially because children were involved.
Wightman said another factor was the city had requested a list of the carnival employees so they could do background checks. The event organizers supplied them an incomplete list that did not include McCray.
The carnival owner, Bob Halifax, said he was not happy with the way police handled the situation.
He said there is a $20,000 cancellation fee with the contract and if the fee is not covered, his company, Family Fun Tyme Shows, will pursue legal actions against the city.
Halifax insists that a complete list of the employee's names was supplied to the city for background checks.
Police said the incident occurred on the grand opening of the carnival.
Police said learned about the incident when the 15-year-old girl went home and told her mom what had happened.
McCray remains jailed on a $200,000 cash bond.
Villarreal remains lodged on a $20,000 cash bond.
McCray is considered a habitual offender because he has a prior conviction for carrying a concealed weapon.
Summerfest remained open throughout the weekend, with the exception of the carnival; which is where the suspects operated the rides.
Copyright 2008 by ClickOnDetroit.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
A Michigan teen who was sentenced to four days in juvenile detention Thursday for refusing to visit his father was released after spending only one night there.
A local clinic says approximately 40 children received the wrong dose of H1N1 nasal vaccine after a misunderstanding about dosing.
The only automobile dealer in the city of Detroit held a wake Friday in honor of the death of the dealership.
The Detroit police department raided a strip club in connection with an ongoing investigation into gas and electricity theft.
Outgoing Detroit City Council members Martha Reeves and Barbara-Rose Collins asked the city if they could keep their city-issued vehicles after their term expires.
The family of slain 15-year-old Jamar Pickney Jr. was overcome with emotions Wednesday as his father was led into court and arraigned on first-degree murder charges in his death.
Local 4 has exclusive footage of a driver that pulled over at a gas station and got into a confrontation with a man just moments before police shot the man with a Taser. He died at a nearby hospital shortly after. 
Police are looking for a Detroit man who is wanted in connection with the death of a 28-year-old Detroit woman whose body was found burning in a Dumpster last week. 
Van leads police on chase through several communities, crashes into several cars.
Think you know what your child is saying when they're IMing or emailing? Find out which acronyms for which you must watch.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
