Charles Pugh, 50, took his first steps to freedom outside the doors of the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility into the brisk December air as clouds hovered overhead.
After spending the last 512 years in a place where he had been convicted of criminal sexual conduct with a child, he was met by his friends and family who were waiting to pick him up in Ionia.
The facility is called the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility.
In an interview before his release, Pugh admitted to the Detroit Free Press that he was wrong. It's something that's indefensible. I shouldn't have done it.
He said his focus would be on restarting his life, not on his past, when he returned to Detroit.
He said that he had a lot to do when he got out. I have an eye appointment, I have to go to the Secretary of State to get the lights cut on, it's so busy.
After pleading guilty to his crimes, he lost his job as a reporter and anchor at Fox 2 Detroit, as well as his reputation and freedom. Three more serious counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which could have resulted in life sentences, were dismissed as part of the plea deal.
The Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit, Michigan has a hearing in front of a judge.
A reporter for the Free Press spoke to him by phone before he was released from prison. Efforts were made to reach out to the man who was abused when he was 14. He declined an interview. The young man with whom Pugh had an inappropriate relationship could not be reached.
Chris Gautz, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections, said that Pugh must serve two years on parole, wear a tether for six months, and have no contact with children for the duration of his parole.
The judge who sentenced Pugh called his actions "reprehensible" and a "deep violation of the public's trust."
People will describe him that way. He said he can't dwell on the bad things if he wants to rebuild his life.
It can be difficult to return to society after spending time in prison. Reestablishing a life after such a public downfall involves even more steps according to Kathleen Schaefer, a licensed professional counselor who has worked with child sex offenders after their release from prison.
"Give yourself time to truly adjust to society and find your place in it," said Schaefer, who founded Professional Probation & Parole consulting in Detroit. The guideline is one month for every year of imprisonment. If you were in for more than five years, you should be able to live on the outside.
Being out of prison on parole is a privilege.
The beginning of a horrible end.
Austin Williams was a 14-year-old when he went to the Fox 2 studios in Southfield to perform with a group of other children. At the time, he was 31 years old.
The Free Press does not name sex abuse victims, but Williams came forward and testified during the downfall of Pugh. Williams looked up to Pugh and wanted to learn from him.
Williams spoke out about the case in 2016 and said that the man had to feel shame for the rest of his life.
I wanted to help him. He reminded me of myself at his age.
Williams was allowed to work at the station for a while. Williams testified during the criminal court case that he never had an official internship at Fox 2, but did small tasks.
In 2003 and 2004, Pugh pleaded guilty to having sex with Williams, who was too young to consent.
Williams told the Free Press that the most important thing to him was for people to know that he was a sexual predator.
The early days of Charles Pugh.
The worst day of his life was when his dad died by suicide. Four years prior to that, Pugh's mother was killed in the west side Detroit home they shared.
Charles says the incidents affected him emotionally. He says his grandmother and other relatives helped him through the trauma. He attended the University of Missouri after graduating from Murray-Wright High School.
The Charles Pugh story was from tragedy to the top.
Charles Pugh is speaking at a sentencing.
After graduating in 1993, Pugh got jobs in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Columbia, Missouri, and Norfolk, Virginia, before landing at Fox 2 Detroit.
After he resigned to run for Detroit City Council, he moved into a weekend anchor position at the station.
Detroit's descent into the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history occurred during his tenure on council. While he was the council president, allegations that he had had an inappropriate relationship with a teenager first surfaced, but he was never charged in connection with that.
Detroit City Council members stand in agreement as Council President Charles Pugh speaks on November 3, 2011, during their press conference at City Hall in response to Mayor Dave Bing's assessment that Detroit may need to hire a state-appointed emergency manager.
After the allegations, he requested a four-week leave, which was denied. Detroit's emergency manager stripped him of his council presidency and pay when he refused to report back to the council. In September of 2013). He disappeared from public view in Detroit and was found working as a waiter in New York.
The person has been arrested.
He was arrested on charges related to Williams a few years later, and he said in the interview with the Free Press that he was dumbfounded.
When the U.S. marshals arrived at his apartment, he thought he was being held for jury duty.
I had no idea that I was being arrested for something I was not guilty of.
He was getting ready for work in the morning.
The case ended in October of 2016 On the day after he was sentenced, Pugh was taken to prison. His release this week was the earliest he could have been sentenced to.
He said he can't change the past and should have made better decisions.
Williams declined to give an interview to the Free Press. Williams said in a text message that he didn't have anything else to say about Charles Pugh or what happened before. He served his sentence and is a registered sex predator.
The other teenager was featured in a television news report.
The Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men, formerly known as Murray-Wright High, is where the young man was a student. The student was 17 when he entered the program and 18 when he left, according to records filed as part of the young man's lawsuit against Detroit Public Schools.
The teen made a sex tape for Pugh in exchange for money for the prom, according to testimony during the lawsuit. The young man couldn't afford a tuxedo or a hotel room.
He told the Free Press that he diverted the teen. He said that the wrong turn happened when the teen had a job interview at Jimmy John's and didn't have anything to wear. The teen's mother and the man talked about what he was going to do for her son.
The young man could not be reached for comment. His mother could not.
Bill Seikaly, the young man's lawyer, said in a phone call that he hopes Charles will not do it again, because he damaged so many young men. He is worried that history will repeat itself.
The young man was ordered to pay $250,000 by the jury after the lawsuit ended.
Seikaly said he couldn't wait for Charles to be successful again so he could collect $250,000 he owes his client.
Reaction.
Despite what he has done, he has not lost friends or family members. He said that other people have helped him.
He said that many Detroiters reached out to him while he was in prison.
The woman who asked that her last name not be used said that she met the man when she was 16 and he gave her hope.
A person will never forget how you made them feel, even if they forget your name. She said that when a person makes a mistake it is like being thrown away. When he was sent away, I wanted to connect with him. He helped me heal from a childhood molestation when he was in jail because he never shamed the victim. He helped me understand that what happened to me was not my fault.
He says he has forgiven himself for his past behavior and that he grew closer to God while he was in prison.
I was a part of the church service and I was able to help people who were unbelievers, and one guy who was an unbeliever was a believer after he left.
Pugh should keep a regimen while on parole, according to the licensed therapist.
She said to make your life predictable. Attend services if you practice your religion. Share your life situation with your pastor and look to the church for support.
In the near future, he plans to do a radio show with his friend Reggie Reg Davis. He wants to get into the restaurant business and speak to others about his experiences.
He says he doesn't have a social media account. The story of his life and downfall has been popular in online chats, including on a Facebook forum the night before he was released.
Wayne Walker, a lifelong Detroiter, hoped that Pugh would get a second chance.
You have a right to a second chance if you pay your debt to society. I don't have any connections to Mr. Pugh, nor did I vote for him, but I believe in fresh starts.
People should be praying for the young men, said another person.
Where is the sympathy for the victims? "What do you think?" Detroiter Jerald Jackson asked. What he did to those boys affects the mind for a lifetime and people show so much support for the person who did the damage, but what about the people who are damaged?
Tony Jackson is a Facebook user from Detroit.
I don't feel bad for him, but I think he can do better. We are all sinners. You don't get a pass to condemn another person's sin with that being the case. I hope that his thoughts have changed for the better.
That's the case according to Pugh.
He said he could make good decisions 18 years later.
Contact Jasmin Barmore.
The original article was on Detroit Free Press.
