Dunlap Admitted to Burning Toddler, Northville Detective Says

Northville Township Detective Jonathon Huerta testified in court Thursday afternoon as the main investigator for the child abuse case involving Dylan James Dunlap.

Dunlap, 19, of Northville Township, faces multiple charges, one of them being torture, which carries a potential sentence of life in prison. Dunlap was left in charge of a toddler with his girlfriend, who is the child's aunt, May 5 and 6 at an apartment on Northridge Drive in Northville Township.

Judge James A. Plakas heard from three more witnesses at this second hearing — Huerta, Northville Township Detective Mike Burrough and Sergeant Samantha Bowlin. 

Huerta said he first met Dunlap at his apartment, after visiting the toddler at Providence Hospital and seeing bruises, burns and a bite mark on him. He said he also noticed wounds on Dunlap.

"He had several multiple scratches, that I observed at his apartment, on his chest," he said. 

In his statements to police, Dunlap told Huerta that he put the lighter to the skin of the boy's body causing the burns, Huerta said.

>>See video above of Huerta's testimony describing what Dunlap told him.

Dunlap was not in custody when first questioned by police and agreed to cooperate, signing an advisement of rights form, Huerta said.

However, Robert Mullen, Dunlap's attorney, objected several times to including the form, which Dunlap signed, as evidence in the hearing. He said Dunlap was not specifically told he was giving up his rights, like the right to an attorney before speaking with police, when he signed it. Plakas dismissed Mullen's objections and allowed the form to be included as evidence.

Dunlap initially told him that his dog had been rough with the boy, Huerta said. After he told Dunlap that those injuries were not from a dog, Huerta said Dunlap became tearful and upset and indicated that was not the truth.

Then, Dunlap said the boy fell down the stairs, he said. However, Huerta said he told Dunalp he didn't think the injuries were consistent with his story and that was when he mentioned the lighter.

Northville Township Detective Mike Burrough, who also testified, described and identified the lighters he found at Dunlap's apartment.

Dunlap, who appeared not to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, cried throughout the interview, Huerta said, and told him he hit the child when he kept running out the apartment's sliding door toward the parking lot.

"He said he had anger management and anxiety problems, which is why he was taking anxiety medication," he said. 

When prompted by Mullen, Huerta said Dunlap also said during the interview that he sometimes had crazy thoughts and had therapy for his anger problems. 

Plakas said the hearing will continue with more witness testimony on Monday at 35th District Court.