Man charged with witness tampering after investigators listen to his jail phone calls
A Macomb County man accused of handcuffing his female roommate to his bed and assaulting her at gunpoint this past winter is in more legal trouble.
Dewitt Bunting, 31, of Washington Township, was bound over for trial in 42-1 District Court in Romeo for allegedly securing his roommate without her consent and assaulting her in their Stony Creek Apartments unit they shared.
While Bunting was being held in the Macomb County Jail following his arraignment in January, investigators monitored his phone calls from the jail. That led them to charge him with witness tampering, a 10year felony, officials said Monday.
“We will not tolerate attempts to silence victims or obstruct the truth,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said. “Witness intimidation only adds another layer to the perpetrator’s alleged actions. We will aggressively prosecute and charge those who seek to further abuse their victims through intimidation tactics.”
According to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the apartment complex on South Stony Drive on Jan. 3.
Investigators said the victim reported Bunting had assaulted her at gunpoint beginning the day before. She remained cuffed to the bed all night by the suspect, who threatened to harm her with a handgun, deputies said.
The woman was able to escape the apartment around 4 p.m. She encountered a good Samaritan who helped her call 911.
When deputies arrived and attempted contact with the male roommate, he refused to come out of the apartment, securing the door from inside the unit. They eventually saw the suspect leaving the apartment around 5 p.m.
Bunting fled on foot and resisted arrest, authorities said. Deputies used a Taser to subdue him into complying with their orders then took him into custody. Investigators found an unregistered handgun on him.
Bunting was charged with unlawful imprisonment, a 15-year felony, assault with a dangerous weapon, a four-year felony, possession of less than 25 grams of cocaine, a fouryear felony, resisting a police officer, a two-year felony, felony firearm, a twoyear mandator felony, and domestic violence-second offense, a one-year misdemeanor.
He was bound over on all counts to the Macomb County Circuit Court. His next court date is April 29 for an arraignment before Judge Edward Servitto.