Deputy charged in assault
By Jenny LancourESCANABA - A Delta County Sheriff's deputy, arrested for aggravated assault while off duty this summer, waived his arraignment in Delta County District Court last week, court officials said.
An arrest warrant regarding an alleged assault June 21 was served last week against Brian Lauscher, 48, Gladstone, said court officials. He is free on a $500 personal recognizance bond and continues to work for the sheriff's department.
Lauscher's attorney, Thomas P. Casselman, Marquette, waived his client's arraignment in district court Friday. The court automatically entered a plea of not guilty. No date has been set for a pretrial conference, court officials said Wednesday morning.
While off duty, during the early morning hours of June 21, Lauscher allegedly assaulted a man at a Gladstone residence, said Bill Merkel, Menominee County assistant prosecutor who has been assigned to the case.
The victim sought treatment for injuries at the emergency room at OSF St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba, Merkel said. The victim was a 46-year-old Escanaba resident.
The case was initially investigated by State Police at the Gladstone Post and later turned over to the State Police Post in Negaunee.
The charge of aggravated assault is a one-year misdemeanor. The case will be scheduled for a pretrial conference to determine whether the case
will go to trial or be resolved with a plea.
Since his arrest, Lauscher has been reassigned to other duties in the department and is currently working in the jail, Delta County Sheriff Gary Ballweg said Wednesday morning. Lauscher was not suspended from work, Ballweg said.
