Last Updated: November 13. 2010 9:27AM
Detroiter accused of beating homeless man, dragging him behind truck
George Hunter and Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News

Detroit — A man police say was so enraged a homeless man was sleeping near his Corktown home that he allegedly beat the man, tied him to his truck and dragged him by the feet was ordered to stand trial Friday.

In a case that shocked homeless activists and neighbors, Steven James Diponio, 54, is accused of assault with intent to do great bodily harm in the Oct. 6 attack on Charles Duncan, 42, near the intersection of Brooklyn and Porter.

"[[Diponio) told the arresting officer he was tired of the man sleeping behind a school near his house," said Detroit Police Sgt. Eren Stephens.

Diponio allegedly took a rope from his pickup, tied up Duncan and beat him several times with a baseball bat, said Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

Diponio tied the man to his bumper and dragged him in his car a short distance before neighbors freed Duncan, police said. Duncan was left bleeding on the sidewalk before a witness called police, Stephens said. Details about his current condition or injuries weren't available late Friday.

Homelessness is a big issue in the neighborhood. Several people sleep in a park in front of Michigan Central Depot that volunteers including Philip Cooley are trying to revitalize. He said his group, the Roosevelt Park Conservancy, is trying to find safe places for the homeless to sleep.

"Those people need help," said Cooley, an owner of Slows Bar BQ. "We hope people are smarter than violence. We don't condone violence."

There are more than 9,500 people homeless on any given day in Detroit and fewer than 2,000 shelter beds, said the Coalition on Temporary Shelter.

Jeff DeBruyn runs a shelter and soup kitchen in Corktown and is an official with a residents' council there.

He said Diponio has been active in projects in the area for years and was concerned about safety in the neighborhood.

"[[Diponio) is very well known," he said. "But that doesn't excuse the alleged behavior."

Diponio, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, couldn't be reached for comment. The judge set bond at $80,000 and Diponia paid 10 percent and was freed. He'll be arraigned Dec. 3 in Wayne Circuit Court.

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