Dexter Area Man Sentenced After Pleading No Contest

“What he did to his neighbors is not a normal or healthy reaction in a free society.”

The man behind last year’s string of politically charged vandalism incidents in the Dexter and Chelsea areas pled no contest and was sentenced on July 14th.  

The investigation moved forward when at least one victim provided police with video evidence showing a red pickup truck throwing roofing nails onto the victim’s driveway. The man responsible, William Francis Rayer, is an area resident who admitted to the acts when Michigan State Police visited his home.

The case unsettled several area residents, many of whom were also recently victims of littering, vandalism, and destruction of property. Reports include driveways and front yards littered with empty liquor bottles and drug paraphernalia, rocks, shards of glass, bits of metal, broken tools and other construction waste, vacuum cleaners, yard waste, kitchen garbage, and spent shotgun shells.  

Through the course of the investigation Rayer was linked to incidents at multiple residences, several of which were displaying Harris/Walz, Black Lives Matter, and/or LGBTQ+ signs, according to witnesses.

Originally facing a total of eighteen counts, Rayer ultimately pled no contest to nine misdemeanor charges, including littering and malicious destruction of personal property valued between $200 and $1,000.

Rayer’s sentence includes a suspended 365-day jail term, two years of probation, 120 hours of community service, and mandatory attendance in anger management courses. He is also required to pay court fees, fines and restitution.

The incidents have area residents concerned, not just for the property damage and fear of continuing trouble, but also because of the seemingly political nature of the attacks. 

When contacted, one victim, who prefers to remain anonymous, said, “As far as compensation, I don’t know what price to put on the intimidation I felt while someone punished me for a few signs that I kept up for a few weeks. There’s no compensation for…wondering if it will start all over again when this case is done. What he did to his neighbors is not a normal or healthy reaction in a free society. It was intended to be as intimidating and punitive and harmful as it felt to me. It was senseless and relentless.”