Police: Accused sex offender fled to native Syria
Trial no-show Maher Haddad charged with breaking into neighbor’s bedroom
An accused sex offender who didn’t show up for trial has fled the United States, according to the Bloomfield Township Police Department.
Nick Soley, the department’s public information officer, told The Oakland Press on Friday it was confirmed that Maher Haddad boarded a flight from Chicago to his native Syria on June 18. Accused of breaking into his neighbor’s bedroom on Fox Hills Drive in Bloomfield Township last February and sexually assaulting her, Haddad was charged with first-degree home invasion, second-degree criminal sexual conduct and capturing the image of an unclothed person.
His trial in Oakland County Circuit Court got underway on June 15, continued the next day and was to resume June 20 following the weekend and Juneteenth holiday. But Haddad didn’t return to court, so Judge Michael Warren issued a bench warrant, ordering him to surrender and explain his reason for not showing up. Warren also ordered forfeiture of the $10,000 bond posted on behalf — 10 percent of a $100,000 bond.
“We used every resource possible and spent much of the day Wednesday attempting to locate and arrest Haddad on that bench warrant before (the flight) information was made available and confirmed to us,” Soley said.
On Thursday, Haddad’s attorney, Mitchell Ribitwer, told The Oakland Press he was surprised when Haddad didn’t show up for court on Tuesday because he had been cooperating as his case made its way through the legal system. He said he contacted several of Haddad’s family members attempting to locate him but they told him his whereabouts were unknown. Ribitwer said he suspected Haddad had left the country in anticipation of being convicted.
Soley said extradition was to be determined but “very unlikely.”