Former Buchanan man to benefit from alternative program

A former Buchanan man who assaulted his girlfriend at a Niles gas station was sentenced to two years probation and 90 days in an alternative incarceration program.

According to court documents, 26-year-old Derrick Terrell Lee punched his girlfriend in the nose while she was sitting in the back seat of a relative’s vehicle in March at a gas station on River Street.

Lee, who now has an address in South Bend, Indiana, then left the scene in the relative’s vehicle while the victim was contacting police.

Lee pleaded guilty to one count of domestic violence and one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

In addition to the probation sentence handed down by Judge Dennis Wiley in Berrien County Trial Court Monday, Lee must also spend 90 days in the Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program in Berrien County. KPEP gives adult offenders a community-based alternative to incarceration.

Wiley said Lee needs to learn how to deal with conflicts in a less violent manner.

“I would hope you can learn from this,” Wiley said.

Lee must also pay more than $2,200 in fines and court costs. He gets credit for 34 days already served.

Also Monday:

• Sentencing for Leonard Goins, 48, of Niles, was adjourned two weeks. Goins was scheduled to be sentenced on one count of larceny after he admitted to taking materials from a Niles construction company in April, according to court documents.

• Sentencing for April Nichole King, 23, of Niles, was also adjourned two weeks. King was scheduled to be sentenced on two counts of unlawful use of a financial transaction device in November. According to court documents, King attempted to use someone else’s debit/credit card several times without permission, not knowing the card had been cancelled.