A Lafayette man police say strangled a woman and hit her with a hammer, then tried to force her into prostitution, has been charged with human trafficking after he was stopped by a Berkeley police officer in late June.
The Alameda County district attorney’s office has charged Michael Green, 41, with six felonies: human trafficking for commercial sex, attempted soliciting for a prostitute, assault with a deadly weapon (a hammer), resisting the efforts of an officer, drug possession for sale and transportation of drugs for sale.
Green remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail with a bail of $315,000 and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday, July 14.
An officer stopped Green as he drove through Berkeley in a black Mercedes on June 26, in the area of San Pablo and University avenues, after he failed to obey a traffic signal at around 3:30 p.m., according to court papers.
Officer Jason Collier wrote that, after pulling Green over, he found Green to have a suspended or revoked driver’s license. Collier wrote that he could also smell marijuana in the car, and saw “what appeared to be a hammer next to the driver’s seat.”
There was also a woman in the car, who was bleeding from the forehead, Collier wrote.
The woman told police that Green had hit her in the head and body with a hammer and strangled her earlier in the day “in the attempt to force her into prostitution for his financial benefit.”
Police searched Green and found what appeared to be marijuana in his pants pocket. Police also found 29 Alprazolam pills and several Hydrocodone and Oxycontin pills in the Mercedes, and $136 in cash in Green’s jacket pocket, Collier wrote.
According to Collier, Green “made threats to kill an officer” while police were booking him into jail in connection with the violations above.
Police also searched a home in Hercules linked to Green, where they found an assault rifle and handgun, according to court papers.
In 1994, according to the charging documents prepared by the district attorney’s office, Green was convicted in San Francisco County of felony possession of a controlled substance, and was sentenced to probation.
He was sent to prison in 1995 and 1996 after being convicted on separate occasions of felony sale of a controlled substance in San Francisco County.
Green was also convicted in San Francisco County for the felony sale of a controlled substance in 2009, and was sentenced to probation. In 2005, he was convicted of felony burglary in Contra Costa County.
Green has one strike on his record in connection with a prior conviction, and could receive a second strike if convicted of the new charges, according to court papers.
Get the latest Berkeley news in your inbox with Berkeleyside’s free Daily Briefing. And make sure to bookmark Berkeleyside’s pages on Facebook and Twitter. You don’t need an account on those sites to view important information.
