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Four candidates running for seats on the Detroit school board have criminal felony convictions, a Chalkbeat and BridgeDetroit analysis found.
A review of records for all 34 names that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot for five seats on the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s board found convictions including assault with intent to murder, domestic violence, assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, and forgery.
The analysis does not include felony charges that were dismissed or related to marijuana possession or distribution. (Possession of recreational marijuana has been legal in Michigan since 2018.)
Chalkbeat and BridgeDetroit routinely investigate the backgrounds of school board candidates. Board members have the power to vote on curriculum, district spending, the hiring and firing of superintendents, and serve as representatives for parents and the community.
In Michigan, candidates with felony convictions are not necessarily prohibited from taking public office. They are only ineligible for election if convictions within the last 20 years involve “dishonesty, deceit, fraud, or a breach of the public trust” related to their official capacity while holding a position in government, according to state law.
None of the DPSCD board candidates identified in the analysis — Bobby Christian, Duane Grigsby Jr., Darious Morris, and Danetta Simpson — have convictions that preclude them from holding office under that law. People with felony convictions are also allowed to vote in Michigan elections if they are not currently serving out a sentence for one.
Here is a breakdown of what the analysis found.
Bobby Christian
Christian, an after-school program coordinator and youth football coach, pleaded guilty to attempting uttering and publishing — or trying to pass off a forged, altered, or counterfeit document as genuine in an attempt to defraud — in 2011 in Wayne County, records show.
He was sentenced to two years of probation, according to the filings.
Christian told Chalkbeat he was charged because he was the sole owner of a company involved in an incident in which a client’s check was stolen.
Publicly available court documents did not include details about the circumstances leading up to the charge.
“I was a young business owner, not knowing the process,” said Christian.
Christian said he uses the experience to inform his work in community violence intervention.
“One mistake can’t define a person’s life,” he said.
Duane Grigsby Jr.
Court records show Grigsby, a business owner and property manager, has been convicted of multiple felonies, including receiving stolen property, assaulting a police officer, and domestic violence.
In 1996 in Clark County, Ohio, Grigsby was found guilty of forgery, according to court records, and was ordered to pay more than $1,300 in restitution.
Grigsby was convicted of receiving stolen property and possessing criminal tools in 1997 in Franklin County, Ohio, records show. According to an indictment, Grigsby received, retained, or disposed of five stolen credit cards. The documents also allege Grigsby was in possession of a driver’s license with the intent to use it with the stolen property to commit a crime.
Publicly available records do not show the sentences for the convictions.
In 1998, Grigsby was convicted of assault on a police officer and failure to comply with an order of a police officer in Butler County, Ohio, records show. He was sentenced to one year in prison and up to three years of probation, according to court filings.
“Yeah, I did. That’s me,” Grigsby told Chalkbeat of the incident that led to the convictions.
Grigsby added, “I’m not saying I’m violent right now, but I could become violent if someone pushed me. And if they … doing something to these kids, yes, I’m gonna show out — I ain’t saying I’m gonna put my hands on somebody, but I’m gonna show out and I’m gonna step up.”
Grigsby was convicted of domestic violence in 2005 in Clark County, and sentenced to 14 months in prison with credit for time served, according to court documents.
Grigsby said the allegations were false.
Grigsby pointed out that the convictions happened more than 20 years ago. He said his criminal history does not define him and that he overcame many difficulties in childhood.
He also said his experience navigating the criminal justice system informs his volunteer work with youth.
Darious Morris
Morris, the District 3 representative of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, was convicted of forgery and falsely impersonating a public officer in 2009 in Wayne County. Records show he was sentenced to one year in prison for the convictions, with credit for time served.
Morris previously told WXYZ Detroit the charges stemmed from real estate fraud and impersonating a notary public. Morris said earlier this year the scheme involved taking foreclosed homes and “fraudulently taking the deeds.”
In 2011, he was convicted of conducting criminal enterprises, according to court documents. He was sentenced to two to 20 years, with credit for 329 days served, records show.
Morris was convicted of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer in Macomb County in 2023, court records show. He was ordered to complete therapy and maintain employment as a result of the conviction, documents show.
Morris told WXYZ he took responsibility for the incident and later apologized to the officer.
“I fell into the preschool to prison pipeline,” Morris said of his convictions. “I got involved in what was happening, what was around me. I didn’t have no mentor.”
Morris, who is no longer actively running though his name will still appear on the ballot, said kids in Detroit need “people with real-life experience” to help them avoid the criminal justice system.
Danetta Simpson
Simpson, who was a cosmetologist and owned her own salon in the city for more than 30 years, was convicted of assault with intent to murder in 1996 in Oakland County, according to court documents. She was sentenced to 14 days in jail and one year of probation, records show.
The Detroit News previously reported a woman alleged Simpson made threatening phone calls and later fired a gun near her during an altercation. No one was injured.
Simpson pleaded no contest to the charge in 1998, though she later attempted to withdraw it, the Detroit News reported.
Simpson told Chalkbeat she was wrongfully convicted and denies all of the allegations. The experience motivated her to run for office and advocate for a reentry program in Michigan’s parole system.
“I took the plea because I had children and I wasn’t educated enough to be able to fight through the system,” said Simpson.
In running to be on the board, Simpson said she hopes to help young people avoid the same fate.
“We have to educate the young people,” she said. “That’s the only way we can get our future to change.”
Simpson has previously run unsuccessfully for mayor and to be a Michigan House representative.
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
Bryce Huffman contributed to this report. You can reach him at bhuffman@bridgedetroit.com.