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Archive for the ‘MICHIGAN’ Category
Shelby Township Michigan Police Officer David Essad Fired, Charged After Brutally Beating His Wife On Her Birthday, Threatening To Kill Her With A Gun - Special Plea Deal In The Works?
July 2nd, 2008
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN - A Shelby Township police officer awaiting trial for beating his wife has been fired.
David Essad, 34, was notified recently by township police Chief Robert Leman that his arrest in Oakland County on charges of felonious assault and domestic violence will cost Essad his job.
“Your conduct on April 11, 2008, violates state law and department guidelines,” Leman wrote in a memo dated June 26, 2008. “Your behavior also tarnishes the police department’s mission to serve and protect the citizens of Shelby Township.”
Essad, an 8-year-veteran of the Shelby Township Police Department, is awaiting trial in Oakland County Circuit Court. He’s due back in court July 15 for a pre-trial conference.
Jerome Sabbota, who represents Essad on the criminal charges, said the case “could be resolved” on that date. Asked if that meant a plea bargain, Sabbota replied, “Could be.”
Read MoreFlint Michigan’s New Police Chief David R. Dicks Targets Sagging Pants Instead Of Violent Offenders
June 27th, 2008
FLINT, MICHIGAN - The city’s new police chief is saying no to crack.
Acting Flint Police Chief David R. Dicks announced Thursday that officers will begin arresting people wearing pants or shorts that sag too low exposing rear ends.
“This immoral self expression goes beyond free speech,” said Dicks in a statement released Thursday. “It rises to the crime of indecent exposure/disorderly persons.”
It’s a style that irks many — a few cities nationwide have banned the rear-revealing pants — but the order also raises serious questions about how it would be enforced, if it disproportionately targets young black men and if ultra-low riders should be considered Constitutionally protected.
So, is Dicks going too far?
Greg Gibbs, an ACLU attorney in Flint, said how people wear their clothing is a form of expression but cautions that not all of those forms are protected by the Constitution.
Read MoreCrazed Grand Rapids Police Officers Pull Their Guns On 8 Year Old Kid After Mistaking Him For An Adult Suspect
June 20th, 2008
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - A Grand Rapids mother has filed an Internal Affairs complaint with Grand Rapids police after officers drew their guns on her 8-year-old son, apparently mistaking him for an adult suspect they were seeking.
Police say an investigation is under way, and caution against second-guessing. They say officers were responding to a report of a suspect with a knife fleeing after a domestic assault and gave chase to a person they thought was the suspect. When officers determined it was a child, they put away their weapons, police said.
Sunday’s incident in the 1000 block of Dickinson Street SE set off criticism from the boy’s family and other members of the community, who have discussed the issue on local talk radio stations this week.
“I didn’t expect my child to come in contact like that with police. You wouldn’t expect nothing like that to happen,” said Aina Clark, 29.
Read MoreKalamazoo Michigan Police Officer Derek Nugent Slams A Handcuffed Kid Face First Into A Cement Wall While Another Officer Watched - Not Charged Or Fired After The Attack, Suspended For Just 10 Days - Caught On Video
June 19th, 2008
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN - A handcuffed Kalamazoo teenager struggles with a Public Safety officer as he is led down a hallway toward a booking room, then the officer shoves him into a wall, injuring his face, in a police video released Tuesday.
The city of Kalamazoo released footage of the May 22 incident after the Kalamazoo Gazette filed a Freedom of Information Act request.
The officer involved, Derek Nugent, has been placed on a 10-day, unpaid suspension, Acting Public Safety Chief Jim Mallery said this week.
The teenager, who is African-American, lost three teeth. In a complaint filed with the department, his family has alleged that Nugent, who is white, was harassing the youth because he is black.
The Gazette is not naming the teen because he is a minor and has not been charged with a crime.
The video was taken from two security cameras inside Public Safety’s Crosstown Parkway headquarters.
Read MoreWastenaw County Michigan Sheriff Dan Minzey Personally On The Line For $100,000 Legal Bill For His Failed Pissing Contest With County After Judge Tosses His Lawsuit
June 17th, 2008
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN - Washtenaw County Sheriff Dan Minzey will apparently have to personally foot the more than $100,000 legal bill for an unsuccessful lawsuit he filed against the county.
Meanwhile, county officials say they spent well more than $200,000 defending the lawsuit filed in August 2006 by Minzey who claimed the county was usurping his authority as sheriff.
The county scored what appeared to be a final legal victory in the lawsuit on Monday when a decision released by Monroe County Circuit Judge Joseph Costello, dismissed the final two counts. Costello was appointed by the state to hear the case,
As part of his ruling, Costello held that the county isn’t required to pick up the tab for Minzey’s legal fees because the statute only requires that the county cover fees if Minzey is a defendant in a case.
Read MoreLawsuit Charges Washtenaw County Michigan Sheriff’s Deputies With Brutally Beating And Falsely Arresting Two Brothers - Similar Suit After Deputies Killed Man Was Just Settled For $4 Million
June 17th, 2008
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN - Two years after a violent confrontation with Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputies left him injured and his brother dead, Bruce Lee is suing the county and a dozen department employees.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court reveals scant new details in the June 1, 2006, incident that started as a traffic stop involving a relative of the two brothers in Ypsilanti Township’s West Willow neighborhood, where they lived.
It is the second lawsuit filed in the incident, which has resulted in federal criminal indictments against three sheriff’s deputies. The county settled the first lawsuit, filed by Clifton Lee’s heirs, for $4 million earlier this year.
Like that one, the latest lawsuit claims the deputies violated federal civil rights laws by using excessive force against the two brothers after they went to the scene of a traffic stop involving one of their nephews and protested.
Read MoreInvestigation Into Lax Security At Michigan Nuclear Plant Lead To Six Suspensions
June 17th, 2008
BRIDGMAN, MICHIGAN - Investigations of security practices at American Electric Power Co.’s Cook Nuclear Plant in southwest Michigan have led to the suspensions of six people who work at the facility.
The Herald-Palladium in St. Joseph reports Saturday that investigations by AEP and security provider Wackenhut Nuclear Services found two “brief and isolated instances” of officer inattention and inappropriate use of security cameras.
The newspaper says those suspended include three AEP workers and three Wackenhut employees. Columbus, Ohio-based AEP says the reviews did not find situations where plant security was compromised.
Wackenhut has been Cook’s security contractor since 2004. The plant is located about 98 miles southwest of Grand Rapids.
Washtenaw County Michigan Sheriff Dan Minzey Investigated For Violation Of Federal Hatch Act
June 16th, 2008
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN - In an ironic election-year twist, Washtenaw County Sheriff Dan Minzey is now being investigated for possible violations of the federal Hatch Act.
That’s the same law Minzey warned a political opponent about earlier this year, causing him to withdraw from the race.
In Minzey’s case, the potential violation dates back to when he first sought office in 2000 - and it’s not clear what impact it could have on him now.
Minzey, who is seeking his third term, confirmed that he recently received a letter from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel indicating the Hatch Act could apply to him when he first ran for sheriff.
The Hatch Act prohibits officials appointed to a state, county or municipal department from running for public office in partisan races, if their jobs are connected to programs financed by federal grants and loans.
Read MoreWashtenaw County Michigan Sheriff Dan Minzey Investigated For Violation Of Federal Hatch Act
June 14th, 2008
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN - In an ironic election-year twist, Washtenaw County Sheriff Dan Minzey is now being investigated for possible violations of the federal Hatch Act.
That’s the same law Minzey warned a political opponent about earlier this year, causing him to withdraw from the race.
In Minzey’s case, the potential violation dates back to when he first sought office in 2000 - and it’s not clear what impact it could have on him now.
Minzey, who is seeking his third term, confirmed that he recently received a letter from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel indicating the Hatch Act could apply to him when he first ran for sheriff.
The Hatch Act prohibits officials appointed to a state, county or municipal department from running for public office in partisan races, if their jobs are connected to programs financed by federal grants and loans.
Read MoreKalamazoo Michigan Police Officer Derek Nugent Suspended After Slamming A Special Needs Child Face First Into A Cement Wall, Knocking Out Three Of His Teeth
June 11th, 2008
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN - A teenager whose family says he lost three teeth while in police custody was resisting an officer when his head struck a wall, according to a report obtained by the Kalamazoo Gazette.
[Someone send us this a-hole's home address, phone number, and any personal information you can get and we'll post it here.]
Officer Derek Nugent wrote in his report that he attempted to turn the teen away from him after the youth, who was resisting the officer and protesting his arrest, “threatened to spit on me.”
Nugent said he turned the 16-year-old to face away from him when the youth pulled away while they were en route to the booking room.
“I reached out, took a hold of his arm and pulled him over to the wall,” Nugent wrote. “As I pulled (the teen) over to and against the wall (the teen) struck his head on the wall.”
Read MoreDearborn Heights Michigan Lawmakers Seek To Criminalize Ice Cream Truck Music
June 10th, 2008
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN - City officials in Dearborn Heights, Mich., say they may ban ice cream truck drivers from playing music because residents think it’s too loud.
The city council is preparing to pass an ordinance Tuesday, permitting drivers to sound bells only as they are making an ice cream sale, The Detroit News reported.
Drivers say the ordinance is unreasonable and poses a major threat to their sales.
“You’re just going to be driving down the streets and the kids won’t hear you coming. I’m going to have to watch what I’m doing. It’s just not worth it,” driver Dominic Amato, 19, said.
City leaders defend the proposed rule, saying it is intended to keep the peace in local neighborhoods.
“We don’t want to discourage people from making a living selling ice cream, but we have to have some sort of control,” Councilwoman Janet Badalow said. Appeared Here
Detroit Michigan Police Officer “May” Face Charges After Running Red Light And Drunken Wreck With Macomb County Deputy’s Patrol Car - Details Hidden From Taxpayers
June 10th, 2008
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN — Police are awaiting the results of a blood test before seeking charges against an off-duty Detroit police officer who drove his car into a Macomb County Sheriff’s squad car early Sunday morning.
The results of the blood test, which will show how much alcohol the officer had in his system, will likely take two to three weeks to return from the Michigan State Police forensic lab, Clinton Township Lt. Anthony Greene said.
The incident happened about 2:10 a.m. Sunday, when police said the off-duty Detroit officer ran a blinking red light while traveling southbound on Tilch Road in Macomb Township, ramming his car into the deputy’s marked squad car, which was headed east on 21 Mile. The deputy had to be extracted from the car, while officers at the scene determined that the officer had been drinking, Greene said.
Read MoreDrunk Detroit Michigan Police Officer Crashes Into Macomb County Deputy Sheriff
June 9th, 2008
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - A Detroit police officer could face drunk driving charges after he hit a Macomb County Sheriff’s deputy while off duty.
The crash happened around 2 a.m. Sunday. The deputy received minor injuries. Appeared Here
Novi Michigan Magistrate Judith Holtz Tells Underaged Drinker To Jump Off Roof Or Slash Wrists
May 15th, 2008
Novi District Court Judge Brian MacKenzie said Wednesday his office still is looking into comments made April 10 by Judith Holtz.
Holtz had told Michael Robert Dickey of Farmington Hills that it would be cheaper, faster and less painful for the people who cared about him if he took his own life.
Court transcripts obtained by WXYZ-TV in Detroit show Holtz suggested Dickey jump from the roof of his house or slash his wrists as she chastised the 20-year-old for a third charge involving alcohol. He was being sentenced for being a minor in possession.
Dumbass Brighton Michigan Finance Director Dave Gajda Pisses Away $5.21 In Taxpayer Funds To Send A Fifty-One Cent Bill - Our Tax Dollars At Work
May 15th, 2008
BRIGHTON, MICHIGAN - A Michigan doctor is getting a laugh out of a 51-cent property tax bill.
It isn’t just that Phil Kazanji’s bill is so low. It’s that it cost the city of Brighton $5.21 to send it to him by certified mail.
Kazanji says he first thought the amount was a mistake. Now he calls the whole thing “the most ridiculous thing a government agency would do.”
City finance director Dave Gajda says Kazanji paid $158 on a bill for $158.48. The city penalized him 3 cents and sent him the new tab.
Gajda says Brighton doesn’t have the authority to waive a portion of taxes.
Kazanji says he’ll write out a check for 51 cents and drop it off.
Fired Crystal Falls Police Officer Michigan Arrested After Snowbaord Theft - Already On Probation For Receiving Stolen Outboard Motor
April 30th, 2008
IRON MOUNTAIN, MICHIGAN — A suspect arrested in connection to a snowboard theft at Pine Mountain Resort on March 28, was arraigned this week in Dickinson County District Court.
Appearing in Dickinson County District Court for arraignment was Marcel Arthur Fraser, 49, Crystal Falls on a misdemeanor charge of larceny-greater than $200 but less than $1,000.
Fraser was identified as a suspect and the snowboard recovered the same day as the incident, following a review of surveillance tapes from the resort.
Fraser is currently on probation in Iron County after being found guilty of receiving and concealing stolen property.
Officials at the Iron County Courthouse indicated that Fraser is scheduled for a hearing on May 5 on a probation violation following his arrest in Dickinson County on the misdemeanor larceny charge.
Read MoreTiny Minds Collide: Detroit Michigan Police And Child Protective Services Team Up To Remove Child From Home After Archaeologist Father Accidentally Buys Him Mike’s Hard Lemondae From Concession Stand At Baseball Game
April 28th, 2008
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - If you watch much television, you’ve probably heard of a product called Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
And if you ask Christopher Ratte and his wife how they lost custody of their 7-year-old son, the short version is that nobody in the Ratte family watches much television.
The way police and child protection workers figure it, Ratte should have known that what a Comerica Park vendor handed over when Ratte ordered a lemonade for his boy three Saturdays ago contained alcohol, and Ratte’s ignorance justified placing young Leo in foster care until his dad got up to speed on the commercial beverage industry.
Even if, in hindsight, that decision seems a bit, um, idiotic.
Ratte is a tenured professor of classical archaeology at the University of Michigan, which means that, on a given day, he’s more likely to be excavating ancient burial sites in Turkey than watching “Dancing with the Stars” — or even the History Channel, for that matter.
Read MoreDetroit Michigan Police Officer Sgt. David Cobb Arrested, Suspended After Hiring Hitman To Kill His Wife
April 28th, 2008
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - A Detroit police officer, accused of hiring a man to kill his wife in January, was suspended without pay by the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners this afternoon.
Sgt. David Cobb, 38, was arrested at his home on Detroit’s east side Sunday morning after an alleged hit man, arrested Saturday, told police the sergeant hired him to kill his wife, Rose Cobb, 47.
But Cobb has not been charged with hiring the hit man, because Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said: “There is no admissible evidence to charge him at this time.”
He was released from jail Tuesday.
Fred Walker, an attorney with the Detroit Police Lieutenants & Sergeants Association representing Cobb at the board meeting, argued that Cobb deserved to keep his pay, because he “has not been charged.with any crime.”
Read MoreDetroit Michigan Police Suspends Their Crime Lab’s Firearms Investigations
April 27th, 2008
DETROIT, MICHIGAN — The Detroit Police Department on Friday temporarily suspended all firearms investigations conducted by the department’s crime lab and ordered it to undergo an independent audit.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, meanwhile, also has ordered an audit of all of her office’s files that resulted in a trial or a guilty plea that relied upon the crime lab’s findings.
Worthy said in a statement that a defense attorney notified her two weeks ago about “significant discrepancies” in firearm evidence reviewed by the crime lab in two homicide cases and several other cases.
“In one homicide case the defense attorney hired an independent expert to examine evidence that was reviewed by DPD firearms examiners that concluded the fired casings came from a single weapon,” Worthy said. “The defense expert concluded that there were 24 fired casings from one weapon, 17 fired casings from another weapon, and 1 piece of fired evidence that could not be identified.”
Read MoreDetroit Michigan Police Officer Sgt. David Cobb Released After Hit Men Kill His Wife Amid Officer’s Affair With One Killer’s Mother - Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy Claims There Is Not Enought Evidence To Charge Officer
April 23rd, 2008
DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Two men were charged with first-degree murder Tuesday in the contract slaying of a Detroit police sergeant’s wife, but prosecutors said there isn’t enough evidence to charge her husband — the man investigators believe ordered the hit on Rose Cobb.
Wayne County Michigan Prosecutor Kyn Worthy Covers Up Perjury
Self-described hit man Vincent Smothers, 27, and Marzell Black, 20, were arraigned in 36th District Court on Tuesday on charges of first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the Dec. 26, 2007, death of 47-year-old Cobb.
Read MoreFormer Burton Michigan Police Officer Tracey House Pleads No Contest In Stalking And Database Misuse Case
April 18th, 2008
BURTON, MICHIGAN — A former Burton police officer misused the state’s police records database to gather information on a romantic rival, a state police investigator said.
Tracey House this week pleaded no contest to misdemeanor stalking in exchange for her agreement to never seek a police career again.
Prosecutors also agreed not to pursue felony charges in the case.
If House reneges on the deal, she would potentially face felony charges of misusing the state’s Law Enforcement Information Network.
State police Detective Sgt. Mark Krebs said the charges stem from 2005 allegations that House was looking for information on a woman who was pursuing a man who House liked.
“She was stalking this woman and causing havoc in her life because she had taken away one of her love interests,” Krebs said.
He said that House also pulled over the woman’s friends while on patrol at night to get information from them.
Read MoreShelby Township Michigan Police Officer David Essad Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Beating His Wife While Celegrating Her Birthday, Threatening To Kill Her, Brandishing A Handgun
April 18th, 2008
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN - A Shelby Township police officer was arrested by Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies after allegedly assaulting and threatening to kill his wife.
Deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department’s Rochester Hills substation arrested David Essad at approximately 12:15 a.m. on April 12 after responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot on Rochester Road, near Tienken Road in Rochester Hills. A caller had reported observing a male and female lying on the ground near their car, possibly intoxicated.
Deputies arrived to find Essad, a Shelby Township police officer, lying motionless on the ground with his arms out, as if he were surrendering, according to officials with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department. The female, later identified as Essad’s wife, was sitting in the vehicle. Upon the deputies’ arrival, the woman walked toward the patrol cars. According to Sheriff’s Department officials, the deputies noticed that the woman’s hair, face and shirt were bloodied. The Rochester Hills Fire Department was called to the scene and transported the woman to Crittenton Hospital.
Read MoreShelby Township Michigan Police Officer David Essard Arrested, Charged With Beating His Wife, Brandishing A Gun, And Threatening To Kill Her As They Celebrated Her Birthday
April 16th, 2008
ROCHESTER HILLS, MICHIGAN - A Shelby Township police officer was arrested Saturday after a witness reported he assaulted his wife and brandished a gun while threatening he was going to kill her.
Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies said Officer David Essad of Oakland Township has been charged with felonious assault and aggravated domestic violence.
He is being held on a $20,000 bond with a 10 percent surety. If released, Essad must agree to wear a tether and have no contact with firearms.
According to reports, a witness called 9-1-1 after seeing a man and woman laying on the ground next to their vehicle in a parking lot near the intersection of Rochester and Tienken roads.
The witness told deputies the two were drunk and that he saw the man assaulting the woman.
When deputies arrived at the parking lot, Essad was laying motionless on the ground with his arms stretched out as if he was surrendering.
Read MoreFormer Teacher’s Porn Case Delayed Again, Statement Attacked By Lawyers, Shelby Township Michigan Police Officer David Essad, In Charge Of Case, Charged With Beating His Wife And Threatening To Kill Her
April 16th, 2008
MOUNT CLEMENS, MICHIGAN - A 2-year-old case that has featured multiple twists, five attorneys and three judges took a couple of sharp turns in the past couple of days.
The trial of Michael S. O’Hanian, a former teacher accused of sending a pornographic image to a former student, was finally scheduled to begin Tuesday in Macomb County Circuit Court. But it was adjourned after the state Court of Appeals issued a stay so it could consider the prosecution’s protest of the judge throwing out one of the defendant’s statements to police.
Circuit Judge Mark Switalski last week quashed statements O’Hanian made about the computer crimes he is accused of committing when he was questioned by police in the parking lot of the Kmart store at 23 Mile and Van Dyke in September 2005.
Read MoreWayne County Michigan Prosecutor Kyn Worthy Covers Up Perjury
April 16th, 2008
DETROIT, MICHIGAN —“Witnesses must give truthful testimony. And we have to demand that they do.”
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy made this observation in announcing the 12-count indictment of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and former aide Christine Beatty last week.
However, according to the Supreme Court of Michigan, Worthy does not hold herself or her employees to the same standard.
Read MoreInnocent Man Released After 12 Years In Prison - Wrongful Conviction In Macomb County Michigan For Rape And Carjacking
April 15th, 2008
MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN - Pork chops were on the mind of Nathaniel Hatchett as he was being released to the free world after spending more than 11 years inside a state prison.
“I’m going to get me some pork chops,” Hatchett announced to a swarming crowd of family members, supporters and reporters Monday in front of the Macomb County Court Building in downtown Mount Clemens.
Hatchett, 29, was freed after he was arrested in 1996 and sentenced in 1998 to 25 to 40 years in prison for the 1996 carjacking and rape of a woman in her car. The culprit abducted her from the parking lot of the Kmart store at 14 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights.
Judge James Biernat of Macomb Circuit Court dismissed the total of six charges upon request by Macomb County prosecutors due to insufficient evidence. The Thomas Cooley Law School Innocence Project, a branch of the national Innocence Project, had asked for a hearing on the case.
Read MoreLeelanau County Michigan Deputy Sheriff Bruce Beeker’s Lawsuit Tossed, Judge Refuses To Issue Order Returning Him To Patrol Duty
April 15th, 2008
SUTTONS BAY, MICHIGAN — A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of Leelanau County sheriff’s deputy Bruce Beeker and refused to issue an order that would return him to patrol duties.
Circuit Court Judge Philip E. Rodgers’ decision means Beeker will remain on desk duty, where he has worked since the department rehired him in August after a labor dispute.
Leelanau Sheriff Mike Oltersdorf fired Beeker, 39, in April 2006 after he repeatedly made inappropriate contacts with a woman who assaulted her ex-boyfriend. Beeker, who responded to the assault, asked the woman to go four-wheeling with him and later called her dozens of times and visited her at home.
Arbitrator E. Frank Cornelius eventually ordered the department to reinstate Beeker, contending the department didn’t have a good reason to fire him, based on the Police Officers Association of Michigan contract with the sheriff’s department.
Read MoreSuspended Allegan County Michigan Deputy Sheiff Kevin Haan Quits After Three Arrests In March
April 15th, 2008
ALLEGAN, MICHIGAN — An 18-year Allegan County Sheriff’s deputy arrested three times in March — for allegedly making a phone threat, violating his bond and suspicion of drunken driving — has resigned his position.
Kevin Haan, 43, was on unpaid suspension when he resigned last week. He served Allegan County’s northeastern townships and had a good work history until he was arrested March 4 for allegedly placing a threatening phone call to his wife.
Afterward, Haan allegedly violated his bond by contacting his wife and, late last month, was stopped for suspicion of drunken driving in Barry County. He is scheduled to be arraigned next month on the drunken driving charge.
“Apparently, he thought it was in his best interest to move on and deal with his personal issues,” said Allegan County Undersheriff Jim Hull, who described Haan as a “very good employee” over the years.
Read MoreGrand Traverse County Michigan Judge David L. Stowe Spent $70,000 In Taxpayer Dollars To Coverup Affair With Court Employee
April 9th, 2008
TRAVERSE CITY, MI — A Grand Traverse County judge used nearly $70,000 in public money to settle a threatened lawsuit that could have exposed his personal relationship with a woman who worked for him.
Probate Judge David L. Stowe last year spent court funds he controlled to head off a possible whistleblower suit by Michael Stein, former top administrator for the 13th Circuit Court’s Family Division.
Stowe fired Stein in March 2007 after learning the State Court Administrator’s Office closed a probe of alleged impropriety between the judge and Cynthia Marie Curry, a former family court employee who worked under Stowe from 2002 to 2005.
The state’s investigation was based on a complaint Stein filed with Grand Traverse County officials in January 2007, when he alleged irregularities in thousands of dollars worth of financial contracts between Stowe’s court and Curry and her new employer.
Read MoreEast Lansing Michigan Harrass Partygoers, Bottles And Cans Rain Down On Them, Then They Tear Gas Crowd
April 6th, 2008
EAST LANSING, MI - Police early Sunday used tear gas to disperse a crowd at a large party near the campus of Michigan State University after fights broke out and officers were pelted with bottles and cans.
Police said in a statement that 3,000 to 4,000 people had gathered for the Cedar Fest party in East Lansing on Saturday night. Police said 52 people were arrested and 48 others ticketed for various offenses.
It wasn’t immediately whether there were any injuries.
Police said the crowd became increasingly unruly about 1 a.m., the Lansing State Journal and The State News reported.
Tear gas was fired about 2 a.m. after repeated loudspeaker warnings to leave were ignored, and the crowd had dispersed about an hour later. Police said about 80 officers from area jurisdictions worked to contain the crowd.
Read MoreFormer Washtenaw County Michigan Deputy Sheriff Jennifer Reynolds Receives Slap On The Wrist For Insurance Fraud In Conspiracy With Former Deputy Christopher Campbell
April 3rd, 2008
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - A former Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputy was sentenced to probation Wednesday for insurance fraud, court officials said.
Jennifer Reynolds was ordered to serve 18 months of probation and pay nearly $700 in restitution. She was convicted of conspiring with another former deputy, Christopher Campbell, to falsify a traffic crash report after a crash involving their personal vehicles in April 2006.
Reynolds, 33, was convicted of single counts of insurance fraud and conspiracy. She faced up to 10 years in prison.
Sheriff’s Cmdr. Dave Egeler said Reynolds is no longer employed with the Sheriff’s Department, but he did not have further details.
Campbell pleaded no contest to a charge of insurance fraud in August and was sentenced to a similar probation term with an additional 100 hours of community service.
Fired Flint Michigan Police Officer Esther Ross To Be Retried After Police Attack On Gas Station Owner
April 3rd, 2008
FLINT, MICHIGAN - A fired Flint police officer is getting a new trial. Officer Esther Ross was convicted of assault and battery following an argument with a Burton gas station owner.
The incident happened on St. Patrick’s Day last year. The parking lot at Bubba O’Malleys bar in Burton was full, so across the street, the gas station owner started charging $5 to park at their Sunoco gas stations.
When Ross and three other Flint officers — all off duty — came over to use their parking lot, something went wrong.
“They all admitted that they were all drunk when they came here and they were mouthing off to me and this and that,” said gas station owner Jimmy Kashat.
Kashat is talking about four off-duty Flint police officers — two females and two males — that came to park at his gas station on March 17 of 2007.
Read MoreRockport Michigan District Judge Steven Servaas Fights To Keep His Job Amid Allegations Of Exposing Jockstrap At Christmas Party, Remarks About Co-Worker’s Chest Size, Drawing Male And Female Body Parts On Court Documents, And Residency
April 3rd, 2008
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — District Court Judge Steven Servaas, fighting to keep his job, defended himself against the charges Tuesday.
And court employees seemed to negate some of the most explosive allegations that Servaas exposed his jock strap at a Christmas party.
The State Judicial Tenure Commission is trying to force Servaas off the bench with claims he made inappropriate remarks to female court employees, drew inappropriate cartoons featuring male and female body parts on court documents, and lived outside of the area his Rockford court covers.
One of the allegations involves a remark Servaas admits making to a female court worker, Rebecca Andrus.
It involved a University of Michigan sweatshirt she wore during a November 2007 retirement party at the court’s Grand Rapids Township Division and her chest size.
“I said Beck, if you are going to wear a sweatshirt like that, you need bigger chest or a smaller school, like Albion, or, I mean Alma,” said Servaas.
Read MoreNutcase Allegan County Michigan Deputy Sheriff Kevin Haan A Potential Danger To Himself And Others
April 2nd, 2008
ALLEGAN, MI — Court documents reveal an Allegan County sheriff’s deputy is potentially a danger to himself and others, after winding up on the wrong side of the law, not once, but three times.
It is a story 24 Hour News 8 broke Monday night. As we dug deeper into court records, it appears Kevin Haan may have been on the verge of a breakdown.
Haan was first arrested March 4 for allegedly making threatening phone calls to his estranged wife. He was released on bond, but with conditions, including not consuming alcohol and having no further contact with his spouse.
But according to court documents obtained by 24 Hour News 8, Haan violated those conditions by calling his wife again on March 13. He also admitted to drinking a half pint of vodka and blowing a 0.18 alcohol level.
Read MoreKalamazoo County Michigan Deputy Sheriff Gregory J. Williams Suspended For Domestic Violence But Not Charged
April 2nd, 2008
KALAMAZOO, MI — A Kalamazoo County sheriff’s deputy accused of domestic violence has been given a 10-day unpaid suspension but he won’t be charged with a crime, authorities said.
Gregory J. Williams, 50, who is a deputy in the County Jail and has worked for the sheriff’s department since 1982, is suspended until April 4, Sheriff Mike Anderson said.
In addition to the suspension, which began Monday, Anderson stripped Williams of his policing powers, taking away Williams’ authority to carry a weapon and make arrests. However, the move will not affect Williams’ day-to-day function in the jail.
Williams also will be required to attend counseling sessions through the county’s employee assistance program, the sheriff said.
Portage police officers arrested Williams in January after responding to a report of an assault at his residence. Williams was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence in connection with the incident, which involved his wife.
Read MoreVeteran Allegan County Michigan Deputy Sheriff Kevin Haan Suspended After His Third Arrest In One Month
April 1st, 2008
ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI — A veteran sheriff’s deputy has been suspended without pay after he was arrested three times in the past month, twice by his co-workers, Allegan County Undersheriff Jim Hull said.
Kevin Haan, a 43-year-old road patrol officer serving the county’s northeastern townships, has not returned to work since a March 4 arrest by fellow deputies for allegedly placing a threatening phone call to his wife.
Haan, who was charged by Allegan prosecutors with a misdemeanor for malicious use of a phone, was subsequently arrested on accusations he violated bond conditions by contacting his spouse again, Hull said.
The deputy originally was placed on a paid leave, but that status was changed by department leaders Thursday to unpaid suspension after an internal hearing.
The next day, Hull said, Haan was arrested on suspicion of drunken-driving in Barry County. Details of that incident were not available.
Read MoreVeteran Wyoming Michigan Police Officer Daniel Bursma Quits, Pleads No Contest, Fined For Drunk Driving At Three Times State Limit
April 1st, 2008
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - A former Wyoming Police officer has learned his sentence for drunk driving.
Daniel Bursma pleaded no contest earlier this month for operating while intoxicated.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Deputies say Bursma’s blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit when they pulled him over on March 1st.
Reports say a judge sentenced Bursma to a year of probation, $950 in fines and costs, plus mandatory sessions with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Bursma spent 19-years on the Wyoming Police force before resigning.
Former Dearborn Michigan Police Officer Cpl. Edward Sanchez Quits, But Not Charged After Taking Marijuana From Suspects, Him And His Wife Cooking Pot Brownies, And Him Calling 911 When He Freaks Out
April 1st, 2008
DEARBORN, MI - Dearborn police declined to pursue criminal charges against an officer, even after the cop admitted to taking marijuana from criminal suspects and, with his wife, cooking it up in brownies.
Then-Cpl. Edward Sanchez was allowed to resign from the department, but he was not charged with a crime, (he declined any comment).
His wife, Stacy Sanchez, admitted to police investigators that on another occasion she removed cocaine from her husband’s police cruiser– drugs purportedly earmarked to train police dogs– and used it during a three-week binge. She, too, has not been charged criminally. Dearborn Police Cmdr. Jeff Geisinger left a phone message with Free Press reporting partner WDIV-TV Local 4 saying Sanchez resigned during an internal investigation. Geisinger did not return subsequent calls asking why Sanchez was not prosecuted.
The decision not to charge Sanchez upset Dearborn Councilman Doug Thomas, who said the department’s inaction sends the wrong message to the public.
Read MoreOmbudsman Says Four Flint Michigan Police Officers Should Have Been Fired Over Racially Charged St. Patrick’s Day Incident
March 29th, 2008
FLINT, MI — Flint’s ombudsman said the city should have fired all four police officers involved in a racially-tinged incident on St. Patrick’s Day in 2007, according to a report released Friday.
Instead, one officer was fired but the others remained on the force.
One of the officers, Esther Ross, was convicted of assault — a decision that has since been overturned — following an off-duty confrontation with a gas station owner’s son in Burton.
Ombudsman Brenda Purifoy said Acting Police Chief Gary Hagler is lax with discipline and “allows officers to say whatever they want,” including racial comments.
“I think people like that shouldn’t be police officers,” Purifoy said.
All four of the officers involved have denied using racial epithets.
Hagler was unavailable for comment, but the head of the police union defended the department.
Read MoreImprisoned Fired Lenawee County Michigan Deputy SheriffTimothy Allen Holtz Sr. Loses Appeal After Conviction For Identity Theft And Bad Checks - Stole From Drunk Drivers
March 29th, 2008
ADRIAN, MI — There was no break in the Michigan Court of Appeals for a fired Lenawee County sheriff’s deputy convicted of passing fake checks with identities stolen from drunken driving suspects he arrested.
Prison sentences that will keep Timothy Allen Holtz Sr. behind bars at least two more years were upheld by an appeals court panel in a ruling received Thursday by the Lenawee County prosecutor’s office.
Holtz, 50, was handed down prison terms on April 27, 2006, that add up to a minimum four years and a maximum 24 years. Lenawee County Circuit Judge Harvey A. Koselka exceeded state sentencing guidelines that called for no more than a one-year county jail term and probation, ruling the guidelines did not adequately account for an abuse of power and magnitude of the criminal activity by Holtz.
Read MoreFormer Genesee County Michigan Deputy Sheriff Alan E. Trimue Jr. Faces Prison After Pleading No Contest To Sex With Teen Sisters
March 28th, 2008
GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN - A former special deputy with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department faces prison after pleading no contest to charges that he had sex with two teen sisters.
Alan E. Trimue Jr., 29, of Flint is to be sentenced April 21 on two counts each of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and attempted kidnapping and one count of using a gun to commit a felony.
Trimue originally was ordered to stand trial on seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts each of kidnapping, impersonating a peace officer to commit a crime and felony use of firearms.
Prosecutors dismissed some charges and amended others to reach a plea deal with Trimue.
Defense attorney Frank J. Manley said Trimue pleaded no contest because of potential civil liability.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as that at sentencing.
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