Terpening to face trial for 12 assaults

HASTINGS, Mich. (WOOD) - When Michael Terpening walked in to a preliminary hearing on Monday, he was faced with 11 counts of sexual assault. Before he walked out, he was bound to stand trial for 12 assaults.

News of the 12th assault came after the judge cleared the courtroom on Monday.

Terpening, 32, was in court to face a preliminary hearing on charges involving males in their mid- to late teens while he was operating Earth Services and The House Next Door -- Barry County programs for troubled teens. He allegedly assaulted four of his young male clients.

The courtroom behind Terpening, who is currently free on bond, was packed with supporters just before Monday's hearing who insist that the four alleged victims are lying.

"Anybody would love to have Mike for a son. Absolutely love Mike," said Liz Smith, Terpening's great aunt.

One supporter, who says she spoke to the suspect last night, says she braced herself for the allegations.

"He said what they have charged is really ugly. He said it's going to be embarrasing," said Linda Timmons, a friend of Terpening. "The people who are persecuting him are people who are of poor character," she added.

Barry County Prosecutor Tom Evans says he believes Terpening's supporters had another purpose -- intimidation.

"The presence of the people here; It's certainly a case of might beats right, okay. We'll bring in our three out-of-town attorneys, we'll bring in all our buddies, and we'll just run right over these kids, and we'll run right over this little prosecutor's office," said Evans. "There may be turnip trucks here, but I didn't just fall off of one."

Then, Judge Michael Schippers closed the courtroom to the public, agreeing with prosecutors and the defense that the testimony was too embarrasing for the victims.

"This is insulting; this is downright insulting," said Smith of the public's ejection from the courtroom.

The prosecutor told 24 Hour News 8 that police have placed one victim into protective custody. He was among those expected to testify on Monday.

A former worker at Terpening's home, Jamie Moore-Bell, says she has had contact with that victim:

"He fully admitted that these were lies, that this did not happen, and he wanted to make this right," said Moore-Bell. "The state police were saying that that's coercion; I coerced him into making these statements."

The father of one of the victims, who says his son was assaulted by Terpening, spoke with 24 Hour News 8. The father of the victim was angry that the courtroom was closed. When asked by 24 Hour News 8 if he wanted to be present in the court to protect his son, he agreed enthusiastically:

"You're damn straight. Nobody else could protect my son when they were up here," said the father.

The father of the victim says he drove his 16-year-old son from Indiana to the courthouse on Monday at the prosecutor's request.

"I don't know if he's in the courtroom right now or not. As far as I know, he's in there talking to the prosescutor. They're not going to talk to my son that way," he said.

He says police recently approached him about Terpening. That's when his son said the man had touched him about four or five years ago.

"Touched him in some wrongful places," he said.

The father of the victim says his son was about 12 years old at the time.

Supporters of Terpening insist that witnesses are lying. But prosecutors say some of the victims were at the home at different times.

"Some of them have never met before," said Evans.

The father of the victim says his son isn't making it up: "I want justice for the other children."

Terpening is married and has eight children. None of the alleged victims are Terpening's children, but he was ordered not to spend time alone with his children last week.