Man who threatened to rob mom sentenced to prison

HOWELL, Mich. — A Michigan man, who police say twice threatened family members with a gun, was sentenced to prison Thursday.

Brandon Oneal Gale, who declined to make a statement, was sentenced in Livingston County Circuit Court to three to 15 years for assault with intent to rob his mother.

He also received concurrent sentences on charges of larceny from a person, discharging a firearm in a building, fleeing police, possession of marijuana and carrying a concealed weapon.

Gale also was sentenced to two years in prison for felony firearms. That sentence runs consecutive to his other sentences.

The charges arose from two separate incidences.

Assistant Prosecutor Angela Del Vero said the “facts are outrageous” and it is unfortunate that Gale targeted the woman who adopted and raised him. She called his behavior “shameful.”

“I do know Mr. Gale has significant, limited functional capabilities,” she said. “That’s partly why the plea bargain was done as it was. ...

“He’s still a very, very dangerous young man given his conduct,” Del Vero added. “His mother had his baby in her hands at one point in this incident. Thank God nothing worse happened than it did.”

Defense attorney Mark Gatesman said Gale had a difficult start in life in which he was taken from his biological mother and then returned before being adopted by “people who do care for him.”

In a Dec. 27 incident, police said Gale, 23, left his home after an argument in which he threatened his mother with a .22-caliber rifle. He returned to the home two hours later, but this time he was carrying a handgun, which he used to threaten his mother to force her to give him money.

At one point during the incident, Gale pointed the gun at the family dog and his mother covered the pet, which prompted Gale to point the gun at her foot. He then moved the weapon “slightly” and fired.

Investigators later found a bullet in the wall.

No one was injured.

Gale then fled the home in a Ford pickup, traveling at speeds greater than 100 mph before police directed him to stop.

Witnesses said Gale's vehicle didn't stop until it crashed.

In a separate incident in October 2014, a Livingston County sheriff's deputy tried to stop Gale's Yamaha motorcycle in Howell Township for safety-equipment violations, but he fled.

Deputies were eventually able to talk him into giving himself up after a pursuit.