Man charged in Clinton Township explosion has tether removed
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Noor Kestou, owner of Goo Distributors, is charged with involuntary manslaughter after his business caught fire and exploded back in March.
As a result of the explosion, gas containers containing nitrous oxide and butane shot through the walls and roof of the building located on 15 Mile Road and Groesbeck.
One of the projectiles struck and killed an innocent bystander, Tanner Salter, 19, who was standing a block away on 15 Mile Road.
Kestou was also charged with illegally storing the canisters.
On Tuesday, he attended a pretrial conference inside 41B District Court where new information about his case was revealed.
"Alright, normally I wouldn't agree to this, but without the objection from the prosecutor's office, I am going to remove the tether," said Chief Judge Sebastian Lucido.
Kestou was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in April. At that time, it was believed he purchased a one-way ticket to China. He was issued a $500,000 bond, and the judge ordered him to wear a tether.
However, on Tuesday, prosecutor Sian Hengeveld revealed that Kestou's defense provided proof he did not intend to flee the country.
"I would like to note for the record, at the time I charged this case, the information that I had available to us indicated only that the defendant had a one-way ticket out of the country. Since the defendant has been charged, the information has been provided to me that he did have a return ticket, so because of that, I do think it's appropriate at this time to remove the tether," Hengeveld said.
Lucido then agreed to allow Kestou to remove his tether.
The defense filed a motion to adjourn the hearing to a later date due to the need to conduct its own investigation into the cause of the fire that ignited the explosion.
"The timing and all the coordination of all the different groups of people that want to have access to the site: law enforcement, insurance companies, and us, and certainly the prosecutor's office will be a part of it, and that is then to identify areas that is to the potentials to the cause and origin," said Kestou's defense attorney James C. Thomas.
Hengeveld agreed to adjourn the pretrial conference.
"Again while we are not happy about having to adjourn the case, I certainly understand why that needs to happen," she said.
The pretrial hearing has been rescheduled for Oct. 28 at the 41B District Court in Clinton Township.