New Ingham County prosecutor appointed to complete Carol Siemon's term

Correction: Carol Siemon's retirement is effective Dec. 31. An earlier version of the story had an incorrect date.

LANSING − Ingham County Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Dewane has been appointed as the county prosecutor by judges of the 30th Circuit Court.

Dewane's appointment was announced in a press release on Thursday. He will replace Prosecutor Carol Siemon, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Dewane's appointment is effective Dec. 31 and his term will run through 2024.

“It is an honor to be appointed as Ingham County Prosecutor by the Judges of the 30th Circuit Court. As a prosecutor, I’m excited to continue serving Ingham County in this new role," Dewane said in a statement. "I look forward to working with law enforcement, the judiciary, community leaders, and the citizens of Ingham County to increase public safety by pursuing appropriate criminal charges of appropriate severity.

"We must work together to address violent crimes, working with police in Lansing and across the county. Police and prosecutors are on the front lines of addressing the increase in gun violence in our county, and we must improve this crucial partnership as we investigate and prosecute violent crimes – such as homicides and gun crimes.As a career prosecutor, I understand that leading this department is a new challenge. It’s one that I am excited and ready to pursue, and I’m asking for our community’s support as we work together to seek justice for the victims my office serves.

"Most importantly, I look forward to advocating for victims of crimes, ensuring that their voices are heard as we seek justice within the bounds of the law.”

Siemon announced her retirement, effective Dec. 31, last month. Siemon's tenure was controversial and she faced criticisms from some law enforcement officers and judges over some of her criminal justice reform efforts.

Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina called for Siemon to step down during the sentencing phase of a murder case in November.

In 2020, Siemon offered Kiernan Brown, who was accused of bludgeoning two women to death and who police said planned to kill two more women and was on parole for domestic assault, the opportunity to plead guilty to second-degree murder. That charge carried a prison sentence ranging from 30 to 50 years.

At the time, Siemon said she did not believe in life-without-parole sentences, which come with first-degree murder conviction. Brown deserved the chance to change, she argued, even if rehabilitation wasn't likely.

The parents of the victims objected to the plea offer. Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth asked state Attorney General Dana Nessel to take over the case. Nessel declined. Wrigglesworth said everyone involved thought the plea deal was "ridiculous."

Aquilina ultimately rejected the plea deal and then allowed Brown to withdraw his guilty pleas. She said Siemon was trying "to be creative to get around the judge and the Legislature, and quite frankly, the law" in what the judge described as "textbook first-degree, premeditated" murder cases.

Brown pleaded guilty but mentally ill to two counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 70 to 100 years in prison.

In a statement after the case, Siemon said she has a "responsibility for making the tough calls, and I stand by all of the work that I've done. She argued that her role is to hold people responsible for harm they cause others, "while also ensuring that the criminal legal system is fair, ethical and just."

Siemon faced additional scrutiny in August 2021 when Wriggelsworth and a group of police chiefs criticized Siemon's decision to limit the use of felony firearm possession charges, during a news conference. They called her actions “misguided.” Some chiefs called on her to resign. Siemon argued that her office would limit the use of that limit that charge as her office sought reforms to reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

She fought back against the chiefs, arguing their statements were "emotion and inaccurate" and played on the fears tied to rising gun violence. Homicide and violent crime rates have rose across the country, both in areas where justice reform has been enacted and areas where reforms have not.

Dewane's career in the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office began in 2001. For the last 12 years, he has served as deputy chief assistant prosecutor and has conducted more than 80 felony trials, including a number of murder cases, according to the release. Dewane additionally led the screening division in the prosecutor's office and served as a liaison to law enforcement agencies as they investigated violent and gun-related crimes.

He previously worked as a private practice attorney in St. Joseph, representing criminal defendants and local governments prosecuting individuals over traffic and ordinance violations.

Dewane worked at the Berrien County Legal Services Bureau after graduating from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1988. In that role, Dewane represented indigent clients.

The judges picked Dewane after opening a two-week window for applicants to submit a resume and letter of interest on Nov. 30.

Contact Mark Johnson at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: New Ingham County prosecutor appointed to replace Carol Siemon