Fired University of Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore faces charges of a felony count of home invasion and multiple misdemeanors, related to his arrest on Wednesday just hours after he was fired.
According to the state of Michigan’s Criminal Justice Information Center, Moore is expected to be charged with third-degree home invasion, which is a felony. He’ll also be charged with one count of misdemeanor stalking and one count of misdemeanor breaking and entering or entering without breaking, according to the Criminal Justice Information Center.
Prosecutor Kati Rezmierski said in court on Friday that Moore had went to the home of the woman who he had been in the relationship with after being notified that he was being fired.
“He then, at some point, soon thereafter came to her apartment in the address that is alleged in the complaint, arched his way into that apartment immediately, then proceeded to a kitchen drawer, grabbed several butter knives and a pair of kitchen scissors and began to threaten his own life,” she told Magistrate Odetalla Odetalla.
“‘I’m going to kill myself. I’m going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands. You ruined my life,’ and a series of very, very threatening, intimidating, terrifying – quite frankly – terrorizing statements and behaviors.”
Rezmierski added, “She was terrorized.”
Rezmierski said Moore left the woman’s apartment after she told him she was calling her attorney.
“The totality of the behavior is highly threatening and highly intimidating,” the prosecutor said, adding, “We consider him a risk to public safety, a risk to this victim.”
According to Victoria Burton-Harris, the chief assistant prosecuting attorney in Washtenaw County, the home invasion charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $2,000 fine. The misdemeanor stalking charge is punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine, and each misdemeanor breaking and entering or entering without breaking charge is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.
The Pittsfield Township Department of Public Safety continues to investigate the incident and more charges could be added, according to Burton-Harris.
“All charges are allegations only. Defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty,” she said.
The university said in a statement Wednesday that a school investigation revealed “credible evidence” that Moore was “engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
The sudden announcement stated Moore, who is married and has three daughters, was terminated immediately and with cause.
News first broke of Moore encountering law enforcement on Wednesday evening, just a few hours after his dismissal was announced. ESPN reported that Saline, Michigan, police assisted investigators from Pittsfield Township – another municipality located outside of Ann Arbor, the home of the university – by detaining Moore.
University of Michigan interim president Domenico Grasso called Moore’s conduct that led to his firing “a breach of trust” in a letter to students and staff obtained by CNN on Thursday.
“This breach of trust by Coach Moore is painful for many in our community, first and foremost, the individuals directly involved in this situation,” Grasso said.
“Yet our swift and decisive action reflects the University’s staunch commitment to a campus culture of respect, integrity and accountability. All of the facts here must be known, so the University’s investigation will continue.”