David Essad

Shelby Township Police Officer David Essad was arrested shortly after midnight April 12 by Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies in a Rochester Hills parking lot after a passerby reported seeing a man and woman lying on the ground near a car. Essad was taken into policy custody, and charged later that morning on charges of felonious assault and aggravated domestic violence.

At the preliminary examination May 13, Julie Essad testified before Judge Nancy Carniak that her husband had grown violent with her on the way home from a bar the evening of April 11. The couple had been celebrating Julie Essad’s birthday with friends at Gus O’ Connor’s in Rochester and left shortly after 11 p.m.

Julie Essad said the couple left because her husband had too much to drink. During the evening, she said, he had consumed beer, scotch and a Long Island iced tea. He also had allegedly become aggravated when Julie Essad spoke briefly with an old boyfriend.

Julie Essad said her husband’s temper escalated during the drive home.

“He said, ŒYou don’t love me,’” she testified. “At first it was just anger and then it got violent.”

Julie Essad said that as she sat in the driver’s seat, her husband began to pull her hair so violently that it began to come out in clumps. She said he also grabbed her head and slammed it against the driver’s side window several times, causing the vehicle to swerve.

“I told him to calm down,” Essad testified. “He would not stop.”

Julie Essad said she pulled into a parking lot near the intersection of Rochester and Tienken roads, hoping her husband would calm down. David Essad then allegedly continued screaming at his wife and bit her ear; photographs were admitted into evidence that showed Julie Essad’s bruised ear.

Julie Essad testified that once the car was in the parking lot, her husband continued his outburst and allegedly punched in the car’s dashboard, knobs, vents and digital display. She said he then reached back and pulled out his service revolver.

“He said, ŒYou’re a (expletive)-ing (expletive) and you just need to (expletive)-ing die,’” Julie Essad testified. “I thought he was going to kill me with his gun.”

Attorneys for David Essad said no mention of the gun was in initial police reports. Julie Essad said she was suffering from injuries at that time and may have left it out of preliminary interviews with police officers, although she said she did discuss it with several people shortly afterward. Julie Essad also testified that at no time did her husband point the gun at her, but banged it against the window before taking out the magazine and putting the gun on the floor. She said David Essad had the gun out for less than five minutes before he put it on the floor.

“He never told me that he was going to kill me,” she said. “But I felt threatened when he took the gun out and said that I should (expletive)-ing die.”

Julie Essad testified that she kicked off her shoes and, fearing for her life, ran from the car. David Essad then allegedly pursued her, pushed her to the ground and continued to beat her, smashing her head into the pavement several times. Julie Essad grew emotional as she testified about the incident.

“I said, ŒPlease stop because I think you’re crushing my skull.’ I said ŒWhat about the kids?’” she said. “Nothing fazed him and he continued to beat me into the ground.”

Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies arrived shortly afterward and arrested David Essad. Julie Essad was taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for a fat lip, black eye, a broken nose and a bruise on her neck; she was readmitted the next week when it was determined she had suffered a closed-head injury.

David Essad’s attorney, Jerome Sabbota, argued that because his client never made a verbal threat to kill or injure Julie Essad with his gun and never pointed the weapon at her, that there was no intent to injure her with it. Carniak, however, said the gun did constitute a threat and bonded the case to Oakland County Circuit Court.

David Essad has been a Shelby Township police officer for eight years; he is currently on unpaid suspension from the department. Julie Essad has also filed for divorce and is suing her husband for more than $50,000.