Dunnings to check into treatment facility
LANSING - Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney Stuart Dunnings III on Monday will check into a residential treatment facility in Tennessee, according to court records. The reason for treatment is not in the public court files.
Dunnings, 63, is facing 15 criminal charges in three counties, including one felony in Ingham County that carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Dunnings' East Lansing treatment provider sent a letter to the courts indicating that he "is in need of intensive treatment that can best be provided by a residential treatment facility," according to a motion granted Wednesday. That motion also allows out of state travel, which had been prohibited by Dunnings' bond.
The motion didn't disclose the diagnosis Dunnings was seeking treatment for or the facility's name or city, although that information was made available to the judges for review.
Mike Hocking, Dunnings' attorney, couldn't be reached for comment.
The treatment program is 35 days, according to the motion, and the facility is expecting Dunnings' arrival on Monday. His treatment provider said in the letter that the best facility for Dunnings was in Tennessee.
Dunnings is charged with pandering, engaging in the services of a prostitute and willful neglect of duty. The charges are the result of a year-long investigation by the Ingham County Sheriff's Office, the FBI and the Attorney General's Office. Information gathered during a federal human trafficking case prompted the local investigation, officials said.
At a news conference announcing the charges, Attorney General Bill Schuette said Dunnings paid for sex hundreds of times over the past several years and used the power of his office to coerce one woman to be paid for sex.
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Dunnings has been Ingham County's prosecutor since 1997. He was last elected in 2012. He is free on bond and Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lisa McCormick has assumed his responsibilities. Earlier this week McCormick said Dunnings was on indefinite leave.
Dunnings' wife filed for divorce March 18, days after he was charged.
"There has been a breakdown of the marriage relationship to the extent that the objects of matrimony have been destroyed," according to the divorce filing, "and there remains no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved."
Jeffrey Ray, attorney for Dunnings' wife, told the State Journal Tuesday that his client "was shocked" at the criminal charges and allegations. He added that Dunnings was served on Tuesday with the divorce papers.
A preliminary hearing, which will determine if there's enough evidence for Dunnings to stand trial on the felony charge, had been set for Monday. It was removed from the court calendar and replaced with a review hearing in May, according to court records.
Contact Matt Mencarini at (517) 267-1347 or mmencarini@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter@MattMencarini.