U-M football player Grant Perry pleads to felony; sex assault charges dropped

Christopher Haxel | Lansing State Journal

LANSING - University of Michigan football player Grant Perry pleaded guilty to a felony, but avoided any sex assault convictions at a hearing Wednesday morning in Ingham County's 30th Circuit Court.

Perry, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of resisting a police officer, a felony with a maximum sentence of two years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of assault and battery.

In exchange, prosecutors dropped two counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and an alcohol charge.

The incident stems from an Oct. 15 disagreement in East Lansing where a woman accused Perry of sexual assault outside a bar.

"We tried to cut in line and we got into an argument," Perry told Judge Joyce Draganchuk during Wednesday morning's hearing. "I proceeded to push her out of my way."

Perry, a junior wide receiver from Royal Oak, also said he "tried to wriggle away" from East Lansing police when they arrived on the scene.

As part of the plea agreement, Assistant Ingham County Prosecutor Christina Johnson said she is not opposed to a sentencing under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act.

If that happens, Perry's conviction could be set aside until as late as his 24th birthday. His record would then be wiped clean if he fulfills requirements imposed by Draganchuk.

Head football coach Jim Harbaugh suspended Perry from the team after the incident, but Perry has recently been practicing with the team. Harbaugh said last week that Perry would be allowed to play in games once his court case was resolved.

In a statement released by the athletic department, athletic director Warde Manuel said, "We became aware and received an update on Grant Perry from today's news reports. We will allow the judicial process to be completed before making a final determination on his status."

Related: Michigan WR Grant Perry denies sexual assault allegations

"We're moving on," said Perry's attorney, Frank Reynolds, after the hearing. "He's still in school and he's doing extremely well. He's getting very good grades."

Police records and witness statements indicate the incident began when Perry and two other men attempted to cut in a line of about 20 or 25 people waiting outside Lou & Harry's, a downtown East Lansing bar and restaurant, in the early morning hours of Oct. 15.

A 21-year-old Michigan State University student told police she had argued with Perry when he refused to move to the back of the line.

Even after his friends had complied with a bouncer's request, the woman said Perry remained, and bragged that he goes to Michigan and that her school "sucks."

She said Perry "started licking his lips and smiling and pushing his chest up against her chest," before he groped her for three or four seconds.

The woman told police she "could feel him squeezing both her butt and her crotch."

Perry, through his attorneys, has maintained that he did not sexually assault the woman.

East Lansing Police Department officers said they were called to the scene on a reported assault, and that Perry "tensed up" when an officer asked him for identification.

Perry began "fumbling through his wallet" until the officer pointed out he could already see his ID card and asked Perry to hand it to him.

That's when Perry tried to run away, the officer wrote. He and another officer managed to tackle Perry, and then arrested him.

Perry's sentencing is set for Aug. 2.

Check back for updates.

Contact Christopher Haxel at 517-377-1261 or chaxel@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHaxel.