For the first time since the law was introduced, a case involving Michigan’s Safe Storage Law has been dropped due to the victim not appearing for a court hearing.
It happened on August 16th when 36th District Court Judge Marlena Taylor dismissed a felony firearm safe-storage violation charge against a 26-year-old Detroit man. The reason? The complaining witness, who was also the victim, failed to appear at the hearing, which triggered the dismissal.
I say this is the first time because there have been no other reported cases in Michigan where charges were dropped for a felony safe-storage violation due to the victim failing to appear.
Here’s why 26-year-old Geris Edward Gordon was charged to begin with:
It is alleged that on July 14, 2025, while Gordon’s 13-year-old neighbor and his 18-year-old brother were in Gordon’s apartment, the two came across an unsecured gun. While the 13-year-old was handling the firearm, it accidentally discharged, striking Gordon’s 18-year-old brother in the wrist. He was subsequently taken to the hospital.
During the August 16th court hearing, the complaining witness, Gordon’s 18-year-old brother, failed to show up, which resulted in the dismissal.
The judge tossed the charges without prejudice, which means the Wayne County Prosecutor could refile the charges in the future.
FIRST DOCUMENTED SAFE-STORAGE CASE DISMISSED AFTER VICTIM FAILS TO APPEAR
As mentioned, this case is the first published dismissal of its kind because the victim did not appear. The prosecution could have called and compelled the 13-year-old to testify at the hearing, but they did not. Whether that choice was due to strategy, preparation, or sensitivity toward involving a minor remains unclear.
Other safe-storage violation charges have been dismissed across the State of Michigan for various reasons, but this is the first documented case where the charges were dismissed because a victim failed to appear.
