Former University of Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Jan. 22 as his legal team moved to challenge the criminal case that followed his abrupt dismissal from the program last month.
Moore, 39, is facing felony charges of home invasion and stalking stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred just hours after he was fired in December. His defense attorneys are now seeking to have the arrest warrant thrown out entirely, arguing the case should never have been brought in the first place.
“This Court is not confronted with
a close call or a technical defect,” defense attorney Ellen Michaels wrote in a court filing, as reported by MLIVE. “It is confronted with a prosecution that never should have begun.”Moore was fired on Dec. 10 amid a scandal that sent shockwaves through college football. According to police, later that same day, he went unannounced to the home of a Michigan staff member after sending what authorities described as unsettling text messages. He was subsequently arrested and charged with felony home invasion and stalking.
Michaels contends the warrant issued for Moore’s arrest
was based on misleading information provided to the magistrate. She argued that police inaccurately portrayed Moore as having stalked the staffer over an extended period of time, when that claim, she said, was unsupported.“A magistrate must be given a fair and accurate picture,” Michaels wrote. “When the picture is distorted, the warrant cannot stand.”
The defense further alleged that the staffer’s attorney supplied information to law enforcement with the intent of portraying Moore as a criminal in order to increase the likelihood of a substantial financial settlement from what Michaels described as the “deep pockets” of the University of Michigan.
Outside the courtroom, Moore attended the hearing alongside his wife, Kelli, with whom he shares three children. Michaels reiterated her client’s position to reporters.
“Sherrone Moore is innocent of these charges,” she said. “Today, on behalf of Mr. Moore, we filed a motion to quash the arrest warrant and dismiss the complaint.”
The case did not advance substantively Jan 23. A probable cause conference has been postponed until March 19, as Michaels seeks access to phone records connected to a separate Title IX investigation involving the university. Prosecutors have until Feb. 2 to respond to the request. An additional hearing focused on Moore’s arrest record is scheduled for Feb. 17.
For now, the former coach remains free as the court weighs whether the charges against him will proceed.
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