The case against the woman accused of lying to authorities in connection with the investigation into 17-year-old London Thomas’ death was dismissed and refiled on Wednesday.
Charla Pendergrass, 48, of Clawson, was charged with lying to a peace officer during a violent crime investigation as authorities were investigating the 17-year-old’s death. She faces up to four years in prison for this charge.
That case, which had been filed in the 22nd District Court in Inkster, was dismissed on Wednesday, June 18.
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, the case was refiled in the 34th District Court because Van Buren Township is the location where the alleged lying to police had happened.
Pendergrass is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday, June 25, for a probable cause conference.
London Thomas. (WDIV)
Thomas was found dead in Southfield on April 26, two weeks after she had been reported missing. She was last seen when she was dropped off at her boyfriend’s house on Carlysle Street in Inkster on April 5.
Pendergrass, who is Thomas’ ex-boyfriend’s mother, is scheduled to be in court for a preliminary examination on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
“Between April 5, 2025, and April 24, 2025, it is alleged that Defendant Pendergrass failed to tell the truth to FBI agents while they were conducting a criminal investigation into the death of London Thomas,” according to a previous release from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
Pendergrass and her son were initially arrested the same day Thomas’ body was found, but both were released as authorities investigated the case.
The Clawson woman was then charged with lying to police, while her son was charged in an unrelated case for allegedly filing a false police report in 2024. He has been released on bond.
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