Solicitation to commit murder charge dismissed

LUCE COUNTY — A Newberry man charged with solicitation to commit murder has had his case dismissed in Luce County Circuit Court. 37–year–old Jason Lee Bufford was cleared of the charge earlier this month.

In a court order obtained by ABC 10, Judge William Carmody granted the defendant’s motion to reject and suppress statements made to the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Corrections. The court order says that a state trooper interviewed Bufford without advising him of his Miranda rights until after the interview was over.

Bufford was suspended from his job at the Newberry Correctional Facility back in February. When a Michigan Department of Corrections employee interviewed Bufford, he was not notified of his Garrity rights until after the interview concluded.

If he was convicted of solicitation to commit murder, Bufford faced up to life in prison. As of July 29th, Bufford is no longer employed with the Department of Corrections.

There’s no word yet on whether or not charges will be re–filed against Bufford.