Sherrone Moore is in court today, Thursday, Jan. 22, for a probable cause conference before a Washtenaw County judge at noon.
The livestream video of the Moore court case proceedings is at the top of this page.
Moore, fired with cause as Michigan football’s coach on Dec. 10 for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer he later admitted to, will appear on criminal charges of third-degree home invasion, a felony.
He was arrested Dec. 10, hours after his firing, and appeared via video Dec. 12 from a jail cell for his arraignment. Moore, 39, was released later that day on $25,000 bond, required to wear a GPS tether, continue mental health treatment and forbidden to have any contact with the former staffer.
Now, prosecutors and Moore’s lawyer, Ellen K. Michaels, must answer a critical question: Is there a deal, or will this case proceed?
It’s unclear yet as to how prosecutors and Moore’s team will approach the hearing in District 14A court before Judge J. Cedric Simpson, but “fireworks” are unlikely, according to an expert the Free Press spoke with. A plea deal is also not expected, according to another expert, based on this case.
We’ll be tracking live updates from the courthouse below.
Sherrone Moore arrives at 14A-1 district court
Moore walked into the courthouse at 11:48 with Michaels. He’s wearing a charcoal suit, white shirt, black tie and black overcoat. He’s about to proceed to Courtroom C where the hearing is scheduled to be held in just a few moments.
Sherrone Moore hearing time set
The former ex-Michigan football court will be in court for his probable cause hearing at Noon. Court documents leading up to the proceeding showed that he was scheduled for 9 a.m., however clerks inside the 14A-1 district court tell the Free Press his hearing has been officially slotted for noon.
[ Tears and tantrums: How Michigan’s culture melted under Sherrone Moore ]
What is a probable cause conference?
“It’s not an evidentiary hearing, it’s an informal: Can we resolve this case?” said Scott Grabel, an Ann Arbor-based criminal defense lawyer.
Michigan law outlines four purposes for the probable cause conference, frequently referred to as a PCC. Prosecutors and the defense meet before a judge to discuss:
Sherrone Moore wife
Moore’s wife, Kelli Moore, made a 911 call over concerns he was going to kill himself after he had been fired by Michigan.
On the Dec. 10 call (audio at the top of the page), Kelli said she was “worried my husband is going to hurt himself … he said he’s trying to kill himself.”
The couple married in 2015 and has three daughters.
Why was Sherrone Moore fired?
Moore was arrested hours after Michigan fired him; a termination letter obtained by the Free Press indicates Moore had an affair with a fellow staff member and then lied about it when asked by the University.
After his firing, police say Moore went to the home of the woman, an executive assistant, with whom he allegedly had an affair for nearly two years. According to police records, he held butter knives to his neck and threatened to harm himself, although the woman told police he also pointed the knives at her and said, “You ruined my life. You ruined my life.”
Moore admitted to police he had an affair with the woman, but denied threatening her, records show. He was not charged with assault. He was released in mid-December after his wife posted a $25,000 bond.
What is Sherrone Moore charged with?
The formal charges against Moore include:
Third-degree home invasion frequently results in no time behind bars, experts say.
First-degree home invasion often means prison time, but Moore avoided that charge, for now, despite there being enough evidence − based on publicly available information presented by law enforcement − to make the case for first-degree, according to Grabel.
Sherrone Moore court date
Moore is due in court today, Thursday, Jan. 22, for his probable cause conference.
Moore, his team of lawyers and the prosecutors will have a hearing in District 14A court before Judge J. Cedric Simpson.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sherrone Moore livestream as former Michigan coach appears in court
Reporting by Marlowe Alter, Dave Boucher and Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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