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04/11/2006Teen pleads to holding hostages
Kinske
LELAND — A Suttons Bay teen who held a classmate and her mother at gunpoint accepted a plea deal that will require he serve at least two years in prison. Dean Michael Kinske, 18, of Suttons Bay, pleaded guilty to first-degree home invasion, assault with a dangerous weapon and felony firearms possession during a hearing Monday in Leland before 13th Circuit Court Judge Philip Rodgers. Kinske forced his way into a classmate's home in Cedar shortly before 11 p.m. on Jan. 26. He was masked and carried a newly purchased AR-15 rifle. A charge of attempted kidnapping will be dismissed against Kinske when he is sentenced on May 1, said defense attorney Marian Kromkowski. "He wants people to know that he is sincerely sorry for his acts," she said. "He is very remorseful for what happened on that one day of his life." Leelanau County Prosecutor Joseph Hubbell could not be reached for comment. Sheriff Michael Oltersdorf told the Record-Eagle in January that Kinske, masked and dressed in full camouflage, held classmate Jennifer Hecht and her mother, LeeAnn Hecht, hostage at their home for nearly an hour. LeeAnn Hecht appeared in court Monday with her family. "I would have to say the charges that Dean accepted were appropriate for the crimes he committed," she said. "I know that through letters and other sources he has expressed some remorse for what he did." Police said Kinske handcuffed LeeAnn Hecht in a bedroom and planned to take Jennifer Hecht hostage for ransom, but after she recognized his voice and Kinske was confronted by her parents, he fled. Kinske drove downstate, abandoned his Jeep and assault rifle, then returned to northern Michigan, where he was apprehended. Kromkowski said Kinske must serve a state-mandated two-year prison sentence for the felony firearms charge. The home invasion charge alone carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. "It was one day in his life and the others days have, from what I learned, been nothing but full of honorable behavior," she said. LeeAnn Hecht said she was glad the plea deal was completed before the end of her daughter's senior year. "(T)his is a big step in the healing process," she said. "We are just glad it is going to be over before graduation so she can enjoy her summer." See related stories:
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