Breaking and entering suspect appears in court

MARQUETTE — A Gwinn woman arrested after allegedly attempting to break into a Forsyth Township home with an axe appeared in Marquette County District Court Thursday.

46-year-old Joie Lee Graves pleaded not guilty to malicious destruction of a building and illegal entry without the owner’s permission. Both counts are misdemeanors. Graves requested a court appointed attorney but did not qualify for one as she has no prior record and the sentence she could receive is not likely to include jail time.

The charges stem from an incident on Saturday where Graves allegedly damaged a window and attempted to chop her way into the residence of a male subject who refused to let her in. Graves will return to court for a pretrial conference on April 23rd.