Former deputy gets OK for preliminary exam after declining one
Christopher Cadotte charged in shooting of pregnant teen
A former Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy charged with shooting a pregnant teenager has been granted a preliminary exam, a right he waived last fall but then decided he wanted to exercise.
Christopher Cadotte faces one count of careless discharge of a firearm causing injury or death from the March 9, 2020 incident that left Isabella Simpson, then 16 and pregnant, with a bullet wound to the collar bone. She was shot following a traffic stop in Pontiac, when the car she was a passenger in headed toward Cadotte after the driver had jumped out of it, according to the sheriff’s office. Cadotte then reportedly fired at the car, hitting the teen.
Last September, Cadotte waived his right to the preliminary exam before 50th District Court Judge Michael Martinez, which sent the case to Oakland County Circuit Court. But Cadotte later changed his mind and got the case returned to the lower court.
At a preliminary exam, a judge considers testimony and other evidence, then decides if there’s enough probable cause for the case to advance.
During a Dec. 3 hearing, defense attorney Deanna Kelley told Martinez that Cadotte had initially wanted a preliminary exam.
But, Kelley said, the former deputy declined after an in-chambers conversation between the judge and attorneys where Martinez advised against the exam, warning that it could lead to additional charges and an increased bond.
Kelley said that was taken “as a threat” and that she wanted Martinez recused from the case. Martinez denied he made a threat and said he was stating an option available to prosecuting attorneys and judges.
The case is now in the hands of 50th District Judge Ronda Fowlkes Gross, with a preliminary exam scheduled for March 15.
Cadotte, who was a 20-year veteran with the sheriff’s office, lost his job after the shooting.