Jackson man charged with assault, home invasion after attack on two men
BRANCH COUNTY — A Jackson man who was arrested in connection with a Jan. 2 stabbing of two men was charged with assault and home invasion.
Dustin Antone Sprague, 31, faces two charges of attempted murder after stabbing his former employer and another man at a Burlington Road home in Union Township just after 12:30 p.m. Monday; both are life felonies.
The assault on Edward Gulliford and Curtis White, both 33, were recorded on surveillance video at White’s home, Branch County Prosecutor Zack Stempien said.
Gulliford was transported by LifeCare to Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, where he underwent emergency open heart surgery and remained in critical condition Tuesday, Jan. 3. White was treated for slashes to his face and head.
Sprague told deputies he went looking for White, his former boss at a tree service until he was fired in 2021, because he believed White was following him. White no longer lived at that home, so Sprague went to the Burlington Road business location just south of the Calhoun County line.
According to court documents, Sprague said he parked down the road and walked outside the residence, where he saw White, who he claimed threatened to get his gun. Sprague took cover in the garage. There, he found a knife and hammer.
When Guilford walked outside with his 3-year-old son, the video showed Sprague stabbing Guilford in the neck and chest, although the man, whom he did not know, was not armed. He then struck Guilford in the head with the hammer to knock him out.
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He then went to the house, kicked the door down, and claimed to have witnessed White with a handgun, court records read.
Once inside, Sprague told a witness that, "your cousin is going to die today," before he chased White back outside, WWMT reported. White was then stabbed by Sprague until another witness came to restrain him, according to court documents.
Another witness, Shaun Bray, came to White’s aid, fighting Sprague, and helped restrain him until deputies arrived and found the three men on the ground.
Sprague was transported to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo for treatment of lacerations. He was then lodged in Branch County Jail.
Stempien said Sprague was released on bond a week ago in Gaylord after an arrest for domestic violence and strangulation. He had been fitted with a tether, but cut it off and reportedly tossed it into Lake Michigan.
Stempien said Sprague had “multiple assaultive convictions, including felony convictions for home invasion and attempted assault with a dangerous weapon.” He is also known to be violent and assaultive toward jail staff.
Stempien charged Sprague with first-degree home invasion with a knife, a 20-year felony, and as a third habitual offender.
At the Tuesday evening video arraignment, Stempien requested a $1 million bond, which Magistrate Val White granted. A preliminary exam will be within 21 days, where a judge must determine whether there is probable cause to believe a felony occurred and the accused is the person who committed it. The judge must dismiss the charges in question if the government fails to meet that standard of proof. Bind over happens when the government meets that standard of proof for both questions. A bind over means that the case will not be dismissed by the district court and will proceed in front of a different judge in circuit court.
The office of the public defender will represent Sprague.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Jackson man charged with two attempted murders in Monday Burlington stabbings. One victim critical
