Refused a breath or blood test? You have 14 days.
If you refused an evidentiary chemical test after your arrest, you have 14 days from the date of the officer’s notice to request a hearing with the Secretary of State. If no hearing is requested, the Secretary of State must suspend your license for one year, or two years for a second refusal within seven years (MCL 257.625e, 257.625f). This license action is separate from the criminal case in the 14A-2 District Court.
How City of Ypsilanti OWI cases move through the 14A-2 District Court
The 14A-2 District Court hears drunk driving cases arising in:
- City of Ypsilanti, including Eastern Michigan University
- Ann Arbor Township
- Augusta Township
- Salem Township
- Superior Township
- Village of Barton Hills
Do not confuse this court with the 14B District Court. An arrest in the City of Ypsilanti goes to 14A-2 in downtown Ypsilanti; an arrest in Ypsilanti Township goes to the 14B District Court at the township civic center.
Misdemeanor charges
A first or second OWI, High BAC, or OWVI charge is a misdemeanor. The case stays in the 14A-2 District Court from arraignment through any pretrial conferences, motion hearings, trial, and sentencing. If you are placed on probation, the court’s probation department supervises it.
Felony charges
A third-offense OWI, and OWI causing serious injury or death, are felonies. The case begins in the 14A-2 District Court with a probable cause conference and a preliminary examination. If the judge binds the case over, it moves to the Washtenaw County Trial Court (22nd Circuit), 101 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104, for trial or plea.
Who prosecutes the case
Charges brought under the Michigan Vehicle Code are prosecuted by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office. Many cities and townships instead charge a first- or second-offense OWI under a local ordinance that mirrors state law, and their own attorneys prosecute those cases. The ticket or complaint shows which one applies. Do not contact the prosecutor about your case yourself; statements you make can be used against you.
14A-2 District Court judges
In our experience, all three 14A judges hold their jury trials at the 14A-1 courthouse in Pittsfield Township. The Ypsilanti, Chelsea, and Saline courtrooms are older and smaller; they once hosted jury trials, and today they are used mainly for arraignments, pretrials, and motions.
Hon. Karl A. Barr
Judge Barr was elected in November 2022 and took the bench on January 1, 2023, succeeding retired Judge Kirk Tabbey. He presides at the 14A-2 courthouse in Ypsilanti over a mixed civil and criminal docket, including felony preliminary examinations. Before his election he practiced for more than 20 years at Barr, Anhut and Associates in Ypsilanti in municipal law, real estate, trusts and estates, criminal prosecution, and civil litigation, and served as an assistant city attorney for Ypsilanti. He is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law.
Hon. J. Cedric Simpson
Judge Simpson was appointed to the 14A bench in September 1999 and served as Chief Judge of the 14A District Court from January 2002 through December 2007. Born in Detroit, he earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and his law degree from the University of Maryland in 1986. He is a former Superior Township prosecutor and a past president of the Washtenaw County Bar Association, and he has taught law part-time at Washtenaw Community College for more than 20 years.
Judge Simpson presides mainly at the 14A-1 courthouse. William Maze has appeared before him in Saline as well. Many of Judge Simpson’s proceedings are broadcast on YouTube, which is unusual among the 14A judges; if your case is assigned to him, assume the hearing may be streamed.
Hon. Anna M. Frushour
Judge Frushour was appointed to the 14A District Court by Governor Whitmer in December 2019 to fill the seat of retiring Judge Richard Conlin, and she was elected to a full term in 2020. She handles the 14A-3 docket in Chelsea. Before taking the bench she was a criminal defense attorney and a partner at Reiser & Frushour, served as assigned defense counsel in the county’s mental health, veterans, and sobriety treatment courts, and served as public defender for the City of Ann Arbor. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan (2003) and a law degree from Wayne State University (2009).
Police agencies that make drunk driving arrests in the City of Ypsilanti
Drunk driving cases in the 14A-2 District Court usually begin with one of these agencies:
- Ypsilanti Police Department (505 W Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48197; 734-483-9510; Timothy Anderson, Chief of Police)
- Eastern Michigan University Police Department
- Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office (countywide figures)
Ann Arbor, Augusta, Salem, and Superior Townships are policed by the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, whose figures below are countywide.
Of the agencies that report separately, the Ypsilanti Police Department reported the most driving-under-the-influence offenses in 2022 (67, with 61 arrests), down 30% from 95 in 2021.
| Agency | 2022 offenses | 2021 offenses | Change | Arrests (2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ypsilanti Police Department | 67 | 95 | -30% | 61 |
| Eastern Michigan University Police Department | 44 | 26 | +69% | 29 |
| Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office (countywide figures) | 326 | 312 | +4% | 241 |
Michigan State Police troopers also patrol the freeways and state highways in the area; a trooper’s arrest goes to the district court where the stop occurred. The figures come from Michigan’s incident-based crime reporting for the offense category “driving under the influence” (2022 compared with 2021), as compiled by Maze Legal; an offense is a reported violation and an arrest is a person taken into custody. Department addresses, phone numbers, and leadership were reviewed on September 27, 2026 and change often. The agency that made the arrest matters: its policies for roadside testing, video recording, and breath-test administration are the first records a defense lawyer requests.
Sobriety and treatment court
The State Court Administrative Office lists a Hybrid DWI/Drug Court (14A District Court) for this court (contact: (734) 484-6690). These programs combine frequent testing, treatment, and regular court review, and they are generally aimed at repeat offenders and people with substance use disorders.
For someone facing a second or later offense, admission matters for more than sentencing. After 45 days of suspension or revocation, the Secretary of State can issue a restricted license to a participant admitted into a specialty court interlock program, once an ignition interlock is installed on every vehicle the person owns or drives (MCL 257.304; MCL 600.1084). Whether a particular person is eligible, and whether admission is in their interest, is a decision to make with counsel.
Michigan OWI penalties
The same state law applies in every Michigan district court. The court decides the sentence within these ranges, and the Secretary of State imposes the license sanctions.
| Offense | Jail or prison | Fine | Community service | Driver’s license |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWI, first offense (.08 or more, or under the influence) | Up to 93 days | $100–$500 | Up to 360 hours | 30-day suspension, then 150 days restricted |
| High BAC (.17 or more), first offense | Up to 180 days | $200–$700 | Up to 360 hours | 1-year suspension; after 45 days, restricted driving with an ignition interlock |
| OWVI (visibly impaired), first offense | Up to 93 days | Up to $300 | Up to 360 hours | 90 days restricted |
| Second offense within 7 years | Fine of $200–$1,000, plus jail of 5 days to 1 year, community service of 30–90 days, or both | Revocation: at least 1 year before reinstatement may be sought (5 years if another revocation within the prior 7 years) | ||
| Third offense (any time) — felony | Fine of $500–$5,000, plus either 1–5 years in prison, or probation with 30 days to 1 year in jail and 60–180 days of community service | Revocation, same minimum periods | ||
Costs, probation of up to two years for a misdemeanor, alcohol and drug testing, treatment, and vehicle immobilization or forfeiture can be added. A jail term for a second or third offense cannot be suspended unless the defendant successfully completes a specialty court program (MCL 257.625(9)(d)). A first-offense conviction may qualify to be set aside after five years, but it stays on the Secretary of State driving record (MCL 780.621c).
More detail: first-offense OWI penalties, High BAC, and OWVI.
Alcohol and drug testing on bond and probation
Michigan district courts commonly order alcohol and drug testing as a condition of bond and of probation. Testing may include preliminary breath tests at appointments, urine tests, and continuous alcohol monitoring. Urine tests for alcohol metabolites (EtG and EtS) generally detect drinking for about one to three days, depending on the amount consumed and the laboratory cutoff. Incidental exposure to alcohol in products such as hand sanitizer and mouthwash can produce low-level positive results. If you receive a positive result you believe is wrong, talk with your lawyer before you discuss it with probation.
Finding your case and court date
Check the court’s website for any online case-search or docket tools, or call the court at (734) 484-6690. Have your full name, date of birth, and ticket or case number ready. Your next court date also appears on the paperwork you received at release or by mail. Missing a court date can lead to a bench warrant, so confirm every date.
What gets examined in an OWI defense
Every case turns on its own records, but the same questions come up in most cases in the 14A-2 District Court:
- Whether the officer had a lawful basis for the stop and for the arrest.
- How the standardized field sobriety tests were administered and scored, and whether the video matches the report.
- For a breath test, whether the operator followed the required observation period and procedures on the Intoxilyzer 9000, and what the instrument’s records show.
- For a blood test, how the sample was drawn, stored, transported, and analyzed, and whether the chain of custody is documented.
- Whether the timing of drinking means the alcohol concentration was lower at the time of driving than at the time of the test.
William Maze has been qualified by Michigan courts as an expert witness in standardized field sobriety testing and in DataMaster and Intoxilyzer 9000 breath testing. See the curriculum vitae.
Request a free case evaluation
Call (734) 941-8800 or send the details below. Consultations are confidential.
Getting to the court
14A-2 District Court
415 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti, MI 48197
(734) 484-6690
Sources for the legal and scientific statements on this page
Penalty, license, set-aside, and testing information on this page was reviewed against these sources in September 2026. Court staffing, prosecutor assignments, and contact details change; confirm them with the court before relying on them.
- MCL 257.625 (operating while intoxicated; penalties)
- MCL 257.303 (license revocation; minimum periods before reinstatement)
- MCL 780.621c (setting aside a first-offense OWI conviction; effective February 19, 2022)
- Michigan Department of Attorney General, "First Time Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) Offenses"
- MCL 600.1084 (DWI/sobriety court interlock program; restricted license)
- Office of the Governor, press release on 2018 PA 43–50 eliminating driver responsibility fees (March 1, 2018)
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Advisory: The Role of Biomarkers in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders, 2012 Revision (vol. 11, no. 2)
- Reisfield GM, Goldberger BA, Crews BO, et al. Ethyl glucuronide, ethyl sulfate, and ethanol in urine after sustained exposure to an ethanol-based hand sanitizer. J Anal Toxicol. 2011;35(2):85–91
- Washtenaw County, 14A District Court "Locations"
- Washtenaw County, 14A District Court "Judges & Admin"
- ICLE, "Q&A with Judge Karl A. Barr, 14A-2 District Court" (March 6, 2024)
- State Court Administrative Office, list of Michigan drug and sobriety (problem-solving) courts
- MCL 257.625e and 257.625f (chemical-test refusal; 14-day hearing request)
- MCL 257.304 (restricted license for specialty court interlock participants)