Jonathan Byrd pleads guilty to aggravated assault, agrees to sex offender counseling
Former Michigan labor leader Jonathan Byrd, 40, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of aggravated assault in a sentencing agreement that recommends 90 days of incarceration and a series of other stipulations, including sex offender counseling.
Byrd previously worked for the Michigan Laborers District Council, of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, or LiUNA, and was considered a labor leader in the state. His work took him to political meetings and fundraisers, and it was at one of those public events that a woman accused him of sexual assault. In November 2022, the woman filed a police report with Kalamazoo police. She said Byrd caressed her bare legs at a public event, according to the police report. He moved her hand to his crotch, stroking it over his erect penis, and she pulled away, she told police. The Free Press does not name victims of alleged sexual assault without their permission.
The attorney general's office charged Byrd with one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in June.
Although this was the first time he'd been charged with sexual assault, it was not the first time he'd been accused of it. In 2017, Margie Hemgesberg filed a police report accusing him of sexual assault in Flint Township — an allegation that lost him his position within the Michigan Democratic Party. That case was ultimately referred to a special prosecutor who declined to press charges.
As part of the sentencing agreement in the Kalamazoo County case, Byrd has agreed to have no contact with the victim, participate in mandatory alcohol testing, serve a period of probation and attend sex offender counseling. The agreement was reached by prosecutors and defense counsel but has yet to be approved by the judge.
“Today’s guilty plea and upcoming sentencing will put a predator behind bars,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “I am grateful for our prosecutors who held accountable a public figure, and especially for the victim whose bravery may put an end to one man’s predation of young women in politics. My office will continue to seek justice for victims of assault regardless of how well-connected their assailant may be.”
Byrd's next court appearance is for sentencing on Jan. 8, 2024 in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court. Emily Lawler is the state government & politics editor at the Detroit Free Press. Reach her at elawler@freepress.com or follow her on formerly Twitter, now X, at @emilyjanelawler.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Aggravated assault plea for former Michigan labor leader