Mosque plot suspect appears in Detroit-area court

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — A court hearing to determine whether there is probable cause has begun for a California man accused of planning to attack a Michigan mosque.

Sixty-three-year-old Roger Stockham briefly appeared Friday in Dearborn’s district court.

Defense lawyer Matthew Evans requested that the fireworks police found in Stockham’s car last month outside Dearborn’s Islamic Center of America be brought to court. Assistant prosecutor Khalid Najar objected.

The hearing is expected to resume this afternoon after a lunch break.

Stockham is from Imperial Beach, Calif., and was arrested during a Jan. 24 traffic stop. Police say he was wearing a ski mask and had more than two dozen fireworks, including M-80s, which are illegal in Michigan.

Stockham’s hearing started Feb. 4 but was delayed after he fired his original attorney.