Macomb County prosecutors: Man held woman in closet for months, tortured her

Macomb County prosecutors say a Clinton Township man held a woman who owed him a drug debt in a closet for six months and tortured her.

But the man's attorney says the allegations are not true.

Darren Dawson, 35, was being held in the Macomb County Jail on a $1 million bond after arraignment Thursday on the charges of torture, unlawful imprisonment and larceny by conversion, according to online district court and county jail records.

Prosecutors allege in a news release that Dawson held the 58-year-old woman against her will and kept her in a closet in his Clinton Township apartment from November 2023 until April 2024. They accuse him of torturing her and stealing her Social Security money and food stamps.

"The victim endured unimaginable suffering in what can only be described as a living nightmare. Our office is committed to seeking justice for her, and we will pursue every avenue to ensure this individual is held fully accountable for the alleged crimes committed," Prosecutor Peter Lucido stated in his office's news release.

Dawson was arraigned in 41B District Court in Clinton Township, where a not guilty plea was entered, according to court records. If he is able to post bond, he is to wear a GPS tether, have no contact with the victim and have no firearms, per the prosecutor's office news release. A probable cause conference is set for Aug. 20.

Dawson's attorney, Randall Upshaw, says his client won't be able to post bond at this time.

Upshaw told the Free Press on Thursday that it is early in the case and he hasn't seen investigative materials from the prosecutor's office.

But, he says, from what people are telling him, the woman wasn't locked in the closet.

Of the torture allegation, Upshaw said: "That's not accurate, that's not true. I believe my client and I believe the people that support him."

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.

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