Buchanan teen receives jail time for assault, police obstruction

Published 6:00 am Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NILES — A Buchanan teen received jail time for an assault charge and probation violation Monday in Berrien County Trial Court.

Christopher Thomas Dykema, 18, of Buchanan, pleaded guilty to assault and battery and attempted resisting and obstructing police and was sentenced to 93 days in jail with credit for 175 days served on the assault charge and 210 days in jail with credit for 175 days served on the resisting police charge. 

The incident occurred Aug. 23 in Buchanan.  

He also pleaded guilty to violating his probation from an earlier unlawful driving away of an automobile sentence. He had his probation revoked and was sentenced to 365 days in jail with credit for 483 days served. 

“I’m sorry for everything I’ve done,” Dykema said. “I was not raised this way, my life took a wrong turn.” 

Judge Smith noted that his grandparents love him but are now at the place where his grandmother is scared of him. 

“She shouldn’t have to live that way, that wasn’t the way you were raised,” she said. “If you continue on this pay, you will be in and out of jail.” 

“Your record is all assaults, either on your family or police,” she added. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson about your interactions with both … If you continue to do this, you will just be back again and again and you won’t have the chance to plead to misdemeanors in the future.”