KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A longtime labor leader and lobbyist has pled to one count of Aggravated Assault after allegedly forcing a woman to fondle him at a gathering in Kalamazoo County in April 2022.
An accompanying a sentencing agreement that asks the judge to sentence 40-year-old Jonathan Byrd to 90 days in jail, as well as a period of probation, mandatory alcohol testing, and sex offender counseling, as well as no contact with the victim.
The sentencing agreement accompanying the plea was reached by prosecutors and defense counsel but must yet be agreed to by Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Paul Bridenstine, who maintains broad sentencing discretion.
According to a press release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel Friday announcing the deal, Byrd had been a prominent figure in Michigan politics and governmental lobbying on behalf of his employer, the Michigan Laborers District Council, of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. In June, the state charged Byrd with one count of 4th degree Criminal Sexual Conduct.
“Today’s guilty plea and upcoming sentencing will put a predator behind bars,” said 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.”
The Attorney General’s Office said Byrd forcibly moved a female victim’s hand onto his penis at a social gathering in Kalamazoo County
Byrd has since resigned from his employment as director of external affairs for the Michigan Laborers’ District Council of LiUNA and his role as president of the South-Central Michigan Area Labor Council of the Michigan AFL-CIO.
He will next appear for sentencing January 8, 2024 in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court.
