Livonia Man Gets Probation in Hazmat-Suit Break-In Cases

Bardakjian pleaded guilty on October 9 to using a dangerous weapon to assault someone and to second-degree residential invasion. A felony firearm charge and another assault charge were dismissed under the plea agreement. His sentence includes 39 days in jail, credited as time already served, and three years of probation.

The incidents took place on May 13 and May 14. Prosecutors said Bardakjian wore a white hazmat or painter’s suit and a mask when he entered a neighbor’s yard on Bristol Drive and assaulted a 31-year-old woman after she confronted him. He then fled.

In the second incident, prosecutors said Bardakjian entered a yard on Bloomfield Drive and pointed a firearm at a 77-year-old man who was outside. The man escaped to a nearby home, where a 33-year-old man was present. Bardakjian allegedly threatened to shoot both men before leaving.

Bardakjian was arrested on June 6 after a Livonia Police Department investigation. His lawyer, Drew Norton, told the court that Bardakjian had no prior criminal record and had been on disability since a car accident the previous year left him with an injury to his head and fractures in both wrists. Norton said family members felt Bardakjian had changed since the accident and that he needed help.

The judge ordered Bardakjian to undergo a mental health evaluation and continuing care, surrender his weapons and avoid contact with those harmed. Court records say a non-technical probation violation could result in a 12- to 60-month jail sentence.

Livonia Sentence Pairs Probation With Treatment After Break-In Cases

The sentence for Manuel Bardakjian combines accountability with court-ordered mental health care. He received three years of probation and credit for 39 days already served in jail after admitting to assaulting someone using a dangerous weapon and to second-degree residential invasion.

The May incidents involved two households in Bardakjian’s Livonia neighborhood. Prosecutors said he wore a white hazmat or painter’s suit and a mask when he entered a neighbor’s yard on May 13 and assaulted a 31-year-old woman who confronted him. The next day, he allegedly pointed a firearm at a 77-year-old man in his yard and threatened him and a 33-year-old man at a nearby home.

A felony firearm charge and another assault charge were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. The judge ordered Bardakjian to undergo a mental health evaluation and follow-up treatment, give up his weapons and stay away from the victims.

Defense lawyer Drew Norton told the court Bardakjian had no prior criminal record and had been on disability since a car accident the previous year caused an injury to his head and fractures in both wrists. Norton said family members believed Bardakjian had changed since the accident. The case now puts the focus on whether probation’s treatment requirements can address the circumstances presented in court while holding him to strict conditions. A non-technical violation could bring 12 to 60 months in jail.

Livonia Judge Orders Strict Probation After Armed Home-Invasion Cases

A Livonia man who prosecutors said entered neighbors’ yards in a suit and mask, assaulted one person and pointed a firearm at another has been placed on probation under strict court conditions. Manuel Bardakjian received three years of probation and credit for 39 days served after admitting to assaulting someone using a dangerous weapon and to second-degree residential invasion.

Prosecutors said Bardakjian entered a neighbor’s yard on May 13 and assaulted a 31-year-old woman who confronted him. The following day, he allegedly pointed a firearm at a 77-year-old man in his backyard, then threatened that man and a 33-year-old man at a nearby home.

The judge ordered Bardakjian to forfeit his weapons, have no contact with the victims and complete an assessment of his mental health with continuing care. Court records say a non-technical violation of probation could lead to a 12- to 60-month jail sentence. Those terms make compliance consequential even though the sentence is probation rather than additional time behind bars.

Bardakjian’s lawyer, Drew Norton, told the court that his client had no prior criminal record and had been on disability after a car accident caused a head injury and two broken wrists. A felony firearm charge and another assault charge were dismissed under the October plea agreement. Bardakjian was arrested on June 6 after a Livonia Police Department investigation.