GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man who went to prison for assaulting civil rights legend Rosa Parks during a 1994 robbery is back behind bars for what police say was an assault on an elderly Grand Rapids woman during a New Year’s Day home invasion.
Joseph N. Skipper gained notoriety for breaking into Parks’ home in August of 1994, hitting her on the face and robbing her of $53. A judge in Detroit sentenced him to eight to 15 years in prison.
Skipper, 54, is now facing five felony charges stemming from break-ins and home invasions over a two-week period in Grand Rapids.
“There’s been those people who just, they specialize in that,’’ Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said.
Three of the felony charges are for home invasion. The most serious, home invasion – first degree, occurred early New Year’s Day on Alpine Avenue NW near Leonard Street.
A 74-year-old woman told police she was in bed when she heard someone force their way into her home. She confronted the man, who then assaulted her and demanded money, according to Grand Rapids police.
The woman gave the intruder $50 from her purse before he fled out the door.
Investigators determined the intruder got inside through a window which he had broken. Officers canvassed the neighborhood with a tracking dog but were unable to find the suspect.
Blood recovered at the scene was analyzed, and it provided a DNA match to Skipper earlier this month.
Skipper, who was already in the Kent County Jail for some of the other break-ins, was charged with first-degree home invasion, a 20-year felony.
During an appearance earlier this week in Grand Rapids District Court, he waived his probable cause hearing, sending the matter to Kent County Circuit Court.
In a March 12 Facebook post, Grand Rapids police congratulated several officers and crime scene technicians “for their great work in bringing this dangerous person to justice.’’
“The elderly victim personally thanked officers for their kindness and professionalism the night of the incident and how they had a calming effect on her during this traumatic episode,’’ according to the Facebook post.
Skipper was 28 when he broke into Rosa Parks’ home, beating the then-81-year-old woman and robbing her of $53. She was treated at a local hospital and released several hours later.
Parks helped launch the civil rights movement in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She moved to Detroit in 1957 and died there in 2005.
Defense attorney Valerie Foster said she is aware of Skipper’s criminal past involving Rosa Parks, but declined comment on his criminal history.
“My role as his counsel is to represent him zealously through the process involving all of his current cases,’’ Foster said.
Becker, the Kent County prosecutor, said Skipper’s criminal past has him facing additional prison time if Skipper is convicted of the pending felonies.
“We’re going to take a look at his complete criminal history,’’ Becker said. “He’s demonstrated a pattern, over his lifetime, being a multiple felony offender that he needs to go away for quite a bit of time.’’
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