The Kalamazoo Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) has filed charges against the Fabius Township Supervisor for sexual assault, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting announced.
Kenneth Dwyane Linn, 57, was charged with four counts of First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct, which is punishable by up to life in prison. It is alleged that Linn assaulted the victim while she was physically helpless due to extreme intoxication and unable to give consent, resulting in physical injury. Linn was arraigned at 8th District Court in Kalamazoo before Judge Haenicke. His bond was set at $100,000 cash or surety.
The alleged assault occurred in August of 2010 following a golf outing held at Sauganash Golf Course in Kalamazoo County. A sexual assault nurse exam (SANE) was performed the following day. During the exam, the registered nurse collected samples from the victim and preserved them in a sexual assault evidence collection kit. The victim’s sexual assault kit (SAK) was not submitted to the Michigan State Police Forensics Lab until December 2014. It was ultimately returned to the Portage Police Department untested in late January of 2015.
In 2016, as part of the state-wide Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) testing initiative, the Portage Police Department submitted the victim’s SAK to Sorenson Forensics Lab in Salt Lake, Utah for DNA testing. In October 2021, Kalamazoo SAKI received approval from the MSP Forensics Lab to resubmit the victim’s SAK for further testing. The results of that analysis led to charges against Linn.
“Too many victims of sexual assault have waited years to see charges filed in their cases,” said Nessel. “I am proud to partner with the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor on this important work and I am committed to see justice delivered for these victims.”
“The Kalamazoo Office of the Prosecuting Attorney is fortunate to have the support of the Attorney General and the Michigan Legislature, which allows us to continue to prosecute these important cases,” said Getting.
Since 2013 the Michigan Legislature has appropriated funds to the Attorney General’s office for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting cases that arise from previously untested sexual assault kits. For fiscal year 2023, the legislature again appropriated money to the Attorney General’s office to provide funding to SAKI projects in Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Ingham, Jackson, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties.
The state’s SAKI was established in 2016 to investigate and prosecute sexual assaults related to previously untested sexual assault evidence kits. The SAKI project provides sexual assault victims with the opportunity to have their case re-investigated in a comprehensive, trauma-informed manner.
A pre-exam conference is scheduled for November 3 and a preliminary examination on November 10 before Judge Ankley.
Republished courtesy of Michigan AG.