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Starbucks baristas unionize at coffee shop in Macomb County

18 March 2025 at 03:03

Myesha Johnson, The Detroit News

Workers at another Starbucks in Michigan have voted to unionize as they seek better wages and fair scheduling from the national coffee chain.

Starbucks Workers United said in a statement Monday that the Starbucks on Dequindre Road and Universal Drive in Warren marks the 18th store in the state to join the union. The labor group represents 11,000 employees at more than 550 stores who “demand Starbucks finalize strong contracts.”

Olive Gentry, who has worked at the Warren cafe since it opened three years ago, said unionizing was the only way to get better pay and stable scheduling.

“There’s a lot of inconsistencies, so we’re trying to protect ourselves,” Gentry said. “I’m excited for Starbucks to work with us on finalizing other contracts so we can move forward and have all the things that all the baristas before us have been fighting for.”

Starbucks did not immediately return a request for comment.

According to a news release, Starbucks Workers United’s core issues include living wages, respect, racial and gender equity, and fair scheduling. Workers at more than 150 stores have joined the union since February 2024 including locations in Maine, North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and Seattle.

Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United are expected to return to bargaining after hundreds of baristas across the country went on strike on Christmas Eve.

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A Starbucks Coffee sign. (AP file photo)

It’s not just the “313” anymore as a new area code could soon be given in Detroit area

17 March 2025 at 23:38

Max Reinhart, The Detroit News

State officials said they’ve almost exhausted the 313 area code and Detroiters will have to start dialing the full 10-digit phone number, even for local calls, starting in October.

Beginning Oct. 7, all local calls made within the 313 area code footprint must use all 10 digits. Calls placed with only seven digits won’t be completed and callers will receive a message asking them to disconnect and try their call again, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) said in a press release Monday.

Telephone service providers can begin issuing an “overlay area code,” 679, to new phone customers in the 313 area, which includes Detroit and several of its closest suburbs, starting Nov. 7. This means callers must dial all 10-digits in order for their call to go through, MSPS said.

To give customers time to get used to the change, a six-month “permissive dialing” period will begin April 7. From then until Oct. 7, local calls can be made by dialing either the seven- or 10-digit number.

New phone lines or services will only be assigned numbers using the new 679 area code after all 313 numbers are exhausted, which isn’t projected to happen until late in 2027. However, MPSC said that timing is subject to change depending on demand, and new lines could be assigned the 679 area code as early as Nov. 7, 2025.

Customers who currently have a number with a 313 area code will be able to keep their existing phone number, MPSC said.

All calls currently considered local will remain so, MPSC said, and callers will continue to dial 1, plus the area code, for long-distance calls.

The price of a call, coverage area or other rates and services will not change due to the overlay, the commission said.

Special three-digit numbers like 911 and 988 will be unchanged.

Phone customers are encouraged to identify their telephone number as a 10-digit number and include the area code when giving the number to friends, family, business associates, customers and others.

Callers should also ensure that all services, automatic dialing equipment, applications, software or other types of equipment are reprogrammed to dial 10 digits if they are currently programmed to dial seven digits and to recognize the new 679 area code as a valid area code. Examples include life-safety systems, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, gates, speed dialers, mobile phone contact lists, call forwarding settings and voicemail services.

“Be sure to check your business stationery, advertising materials, personal checks, and your personal or pet ID tags to ensure the area code is included in your telephone number,” MPSC said.

Important safety and security equipment like medical alert devices, alarms and security systems may also need to be reprogrammed, between April 7 and Oct. 7, to use 10-digit dialing. Many systems use 10 digits by default, but older equipment may not, the state said. Anyone unsure about this should contact the service provider.

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

The Detroit gateway sign along eastbound I-94 and Cecil Avenue in Detroit on April 9, 2024. (Daniel Mears, The Detroit News)

2 Ypsilanti men charged in attempted car theft in Southfield

17 March 2025 at 23:19

Charles Ramirez, The Detroit News

Two Ypsilanti men were arrested over the weekend for trying to steal a vehicle after leading Southfield police on car chases, officials said.

Both have been charged, Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said Monday.

Tyree Pitts, 21, and James Harris, 18, both of Ypsilanti, were arraigned Friday in 46th District Court, the police chief and court records said.

Tyree Pitts (Photo courtesy of Southfield Police Department)
Tyree Pitts (Photo courtesy of Southfield Police Department)
James Harris (Photo courtesy of Southfield Police Department)
James Harris (Photo courtesy of Southfield Police Department)

Barren announced their arrests and charges against them at a midday news conference Monday at police headquarters. He was joined by Southfield Deputy Police Chief Aaron Huguley, Southfield Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Jagielski, and Southfield Police Lt. Mostapha Bzeih.

Pitts is charged with third-degree fleeing and eluding police, a 5-year felony, unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle, a 5-year felony, and receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle, also a 5-year felony.

A judge set his bond at $50,000 and scheduled his next court hearing for March 28.

Court records did not list an attorney for Pitts on Monday.

Barren said Pitts has prior convictions for assault with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, receiving and concealing stolen motor vehicles, felony assault, and malicious destruction of property.

Harris is charged with unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle and receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle, Barren said.

A judge set his bond at $1,500 and scheduled his next court hearing for March 28.

Court records did not list an attorney for Harris on Monday.

Barren said Harris does not have a documented criminal history.

Two other people were arrested in connection with the attempted theft, police said.

One, an 18-year-old Atlanta, Ga., man, was given a ticket for giving police officers a false name when questioned, they said.

The other, a 17-year-old Detroit resident, was processed and turned over to his parents, the chief said. The 17-year-old will be prosecuted in Wayne County Juvenile Court. Barren explained juveniles accused of crimes in Michigan are prosecuted in the counties of their residence not where the crimes allegedly happened.

He also said police continue to investigate and determine if any others may be charged in connection with the crime.

Authorities said the incident happened at about last Thursday in the 27000 block of Berkshire Drive near West Eleven Mile and Evergreen roads.

Barren said dispatchers received a 911 call at about 3:30 a.m. Thursday from the car’s owner. She reported her home’s security camera alerted her to a man trying to get inside her parked 2017 Dodge Charger, Barren said.

After checking the video, she told police she saw multiple suspects near her car and gave a description of them.

Officers arrived within minutes and saw a suspect run to get into a white 2015 Mazda sedan, according to the Southfield police chief. They then saw the Mazda and a green Ford Fusion that had been reported stolen earlier in the day in Southfield traveling one behind the other through the neighborhood.

“Based on the officers’ observations, it was apparent that both vehicles were involved and acting in concert with one another,” Barren said. “Both vehicles were observed leaving the subdivision at the same time. Both vehicles turned in unison onto northbound Evergreen Road.”

The chief said the Ford was in front with the Mazda behind it. Officers followed the vehicles as they reached Villa Pointe Condominiums where they drove off in separate directions, he said.

Officers following the Ford shone their vehicle’s spotlight on the car and saw multiple occupants inside wearing masks.

“The Ford Fusion immediately accelerated away from officers,” Barren said. “As the driver fled, he drove over grass, and rocks, and the vehicle became disabled. The occupants got out and ran.”

Simultaneously, officers were pursuing the Mazda. Barren said the car turned onto northbound Evergreen Road, made an abrupt turn at Kingswood Place Condominiums, and continued to flee.

Police then used a so-called PIT Maneuver — using a police car to strike a fleeing vehicle’s rear quarter panel — to disable it, officials said.

“That resulted in the vehicle spinning out and becoming disabled,” Barren said.

He said the occupants remained in the car until officers ordered them out and took them into custody. Police later identified the driver as Pitts and his front seat passenger as Harris, the chief said.

No injuries were reported, he added.

On Monday, Southfield police released the 911 call reporting the attempted car theft as well as officers’ dash cam video of one of the car chases and body camera footage of the arrest of a couple of suspects.

Car thefts have become such a growing problem for law enforcement and car owners, that the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said last month it was expanding its auto insurance fraud task force to include stolen vehicles as thefts spike in the state.

“Southeast Michigan is experiencing a crisis when it comes to individuals stealing vehicles,” Barren said. “It’s also a national crisis. It’s a multi-million dollar industry and that’s what keeps individuals committing these crimes.”

Barren said the city of Southfield is attractive for car thieves because of the three freeways — Interstate 696, the Lodge and the Southfield — that run through it. It also has a lot of hotels and apartment complexes, he added.

“It can become a target for individuals who are planning auto theft crimes because the cars are on display,” he said.

Southfield police officers and the task force have arrested 43 auto theft suspects since October 2024, the chief said. Southfield police have arrested 21 people, which resulted in 47 felony charges so far in 2025, he said.

The Southfield Police Department houses the Oakland County Auto Theft Task Force, which includes officers from Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and the Southfield, Hazel Park, Farmington Hills and Detroit police agencies.

Pitts and Harris are the latest Michigan residents to be accused of auto theft.

Last week, a Warren man was charged with conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, after authorities linked him to an alleged auto theft ring that targeted Cadillacs in a carmaker’s lot.

Earlier this month, three Detroit men were ordered to stand trial for allegedly being part of a ring that stole hundreds of vehicles in southeast Michigan.

Last month, two Detroit were charged for allegedly being part of an auto theft ring that targeted dealerships in Macomb, Oakland, and Genesee counties.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Mugshots and shows as Elvin Barren, Southfield's police chief, talks during a press conference on Monday about the arrests of two men from Ypsilanti after an attempted car theft. (David Guralnick, The Detroit News)

Royal Oak superintendent Fitzpatrick to retire after 40 years in education

14 March 2025 at 21:32

Max Reinhart, The Detroit News

After almost four decades in education, including eight as the head of Royal Oak’s school system, Mary Beth Fitzpatrick is retiring.

Fitzpatrick announced her retirement in a letter accepted by the Royal Oak Schools Board of Education during its meeting Thursday.

“From the start of my career in 1986, I have passionately pursued teaching and learning,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “Each role has allowed me to work with outstanding educators in two amazing communities.”

According to her LinkedIn profile, Fitzpatrick earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Detroit.

She started her career in 1986 as a special education teacher in Berkley Public Schools before expanding into instructional support and staff development.

During her 30 years in Berkley, Fitzpatrick served as an assistant principal and principal at both the elementary and high school levels before taking a job as assistant superintendent of curriculum, technology, assessment and grants.

She joined Royal Oak as superintendent in 2017. She said that among her most notable accomplishments was shepherding the 2017 passage of a bond for $60 million, providing funding to improve facilities, technology and other resources.

She also helped secure grants, including an Oakland County Schools Mental Health Grant, which helped the district promote student well-being, and a recent Safe Routes to School “mini-grant” that helped improve student safety through infrastructure improvement and community engagement.

“There have been many successes, and we have faced various challenges; the key to both has been our ability to work together and support one another,” Fitzpatrick said.

In the community, Fitzpatrick was a board member of the Royal Oak Rotary Club and South Oakland YMCA, and had roles on organizations like the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce Legislative Subcommittee, Oakland County Superintendents Association and Metropolitan Detroit Bureau of School Studies Inc.

Her retirement takes effect July 31.

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

Royal Oak schools superintendent Mary Beth Fitzpatrick is retiring .

Southfield man charged after leading Berkley police on a car chase

14 March 2025 at 21:16

Charles Ramirez, The Detroit News

A 19-year-old Southfield man accused of leading Berkley police on a car chase Wednesday while carrying a concealed weapon has been charged.

Cameron Scott has also been banned from entering the cities of Berkley and Royal Oak by a judge, officials said.

Scott was arraigned Thursday in 44th District Court in Royal Oak, according to court records. He is charged with third-degree fleeing police, carrying a concealed weapon, and driving with a suspended license.

A judge set his bond at $11,000 and scheduled his next court hearing for next Friday, records said.

Police said the judge also prohibited Scott from entering the cities of Berkley and Royal Oak except for court purposes.

Scott was arraigned Thursday in 44th District Court in Royal Oak, according to court records. He is charged with third-degree fleeing police, carrying a concealed weapon, and driving with a suspended license.

A judge set his bond at $11,000 and scheduled his next court hearing for next Friday, records said.

Police said the judge also prohibited Scott from entering the cities of Berkley and Royal Oak except for court purposes.

Berkley police said officers on Wednesday tried to pull a white Ford Fusion over for a traffic stop near 12 Mile Road and Coolidge Highway.

They said the driver refused to stop and continued to speed south towards 11 Mile. Officers gave chase.

Authorities said shortly after the chase began, the driver tossed a firearm from the car. Police boxed in the vehicle and arrested the driver, later identified as Scott.

Berkley police also released dash camera video of the chase.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Cameron Scott (Photo Berkley Police Department)

Police say clothing theft attempt leads to arrest of alleged Venezuelan gang member

14 March 2025 at 21:01

George Hunter, The Detroit News

Two Venezuelan nationals, one of whom is an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member accused of multiple crimes in Colorado, are in police custody after an attempted “snatch-and-grab” theft this week from an Auburn Hills clothing store, authorities said.

The incident started at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, when an Auburn Hills police officer was at the Nordstrom Rack store at the Great Lakes Crossing Outlet mall following up on an unrelated matter, Auburn Hills Deputy Chief Scott McGraw said Friday.

“The officer saw three males running through the store grabbing handfuls of merchandise off the shelves, so he chased them,” McGraw said.

During the foot pursuit, the officer radioed for help, and Auburn Hills Police set up a perimeter around the area, the deputy police chief said.

“With help of an Oakland County Sheriff’s K-9 unit, we were able to find two of the men hiding in a subdivision across the road from the mall,” McGraw said. “We think the third man must’ve gotten away in a vehicle.

“The men were interviewed and fingerprinted, and they didn’t speak English well,” McGraw said. “None of the names they provided came back with a valid identification. Typically, when that happens, we’ll contact Border Patrol. They told us both men were in the country illegally.”

McGraw said Auburn Hills Police turned the two men over to Border Patrol agents.

Federal officials said one of the men was a gang member who was wanted for several crimes in Colorado.

“Yesterday, in Detroit, MI, (U.S. Border Patrol) agents and Auburn Hills PD responded to a shoplifting call that escalated into the takedown of a dangerous fugitive,” U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks wrote in a Thursday X post. “A Venezuelan national wanted for kidnapping and torture in Colorado and is linked to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang was taken into custody. He is now facing charges (of) … willfully refusing to depart the U.S.”

The suspect was not identified. Banks posted photos on X showing the man being arrested, although his face was blurred.

The U.S. Border Patrol Detroit Sector said in a Facebook post Wednesday that the man has a felony warrant out of Arapahoe, Colorado, for kidnapping-sex offense/robbery, aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon/intent to kill, burglary of a dwelling, extortion, felony menacing, and committing a violent crime with a weapon.

Border Patrol spokesman Youssef Fawaz said in an email: “For privacy reasons, we do not comment on ongoing cases.”

Last month, President Donald Trump formally designated Tren de Aragua, MS 13 and other gangs as “foreign terrorist organizations,” carrying out a Jan. 20 executive order.

According to a Wednesday Facebook post by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Office of Field Operations, “the Detroit Field Office has apprehended more than 20 Tren de Aragua gang members or affiliates at ports of entry across Michigan.”

A crackdown on illegal immigration by the Trump Administration has led to a spike in cases filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Court of Michigan, The Detroit News reported last week. Those arrested included a Venezuelan man living in Detroit with alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua gang.

Last month, Border Patrol agents at the Sault Ste. Marie Station arrested a suspected Tren De Aragua gang member during a traffic stop.

McGraw said there’s been a rash of “smash-and-grab” and “snatch-and-grab” thefts in Oakland County recently, including a 2023 incident in which four Chilean nationals who were in the U.S. with temporary visas were charged with stealing jewelry from multiple locations, including the Great Lakes Crossing mall.

“It happens more often than people know,’ McGraw said. “A lot of stores don’t bother prosecuting, or don’t call us, it happens so often. I wouldn’t say it’s an everyday occurrence, but it’s happening more and more.”

ghunter@detroitnews.com

Auburn Hills Police vehicle. (Oakland Press file photo)

Detective says boy ‘would still be alive’ but Oxford Center failed to use grounding wire

13 March 2025 at 20:41

Hannah Mackay, The Detroit News

Grounding wires, or safety straps worn around a wrist to prevent static electricity inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, were found inside a “junk drawer” at a Troy medical facility where a chamber exploded, killing a boy, and could’ve saved the child’s life, according to testimony by a Troy police detective.

A transcript of Det. Danielle Trigger’s testimony to 52-4 District Court Magistrate Elizabeth Chiappelli, given March 7, sheds light on the Jan. 31 explosion at the Oxford Center. Thomas Cooper, 5, of Royal Oak was inside the hyperbaric chamber and died when it exploded.

Thomas on his 36th of 40 treatments in the hyperbaric chamber, which creates a pressurized environment of pure oxygen. His mother, standing nearby, burned her arms trying to rescue her son. Police have not revealed what the boy was being treated for.

CCTV footage of the oxygen chamber gave police insight into what preceded the tragedy: Cooper lay in the chamber wearing pajamas and holding a gray blanket. His head rested on a pillow with a patterned pillowcase, according to March 7 transcripts.

“Cooper is moving around within the chamber, moving the blanket and sheet around with him. He rolls onto his side and pulls his knee up towards his chest, which results in a visible ignition,” Trigger said. “The chamber immediately begins to burn internally and in what could only be described as a fireball, ultimately killing Thomas Cooper. At the time of the initial ignition to the time the inside of the chamber is fully engulfed in flames, killing Cooper, is approximately three seconds.”

Police found the grounding wrist straps in a “junk drawer” in the facility’s laundry room, Trigger said. She described the cords as oxidized, like they hadn’t been used or moved for an extended period. They also found a multimeter in the drawer, which is used to test grounding, Trigger said.

“The multimeter was still in the bag with the caps on both ends of the cords and the cords appeared to have never been unraveled, which was consistent with it never having been utilized to test grounding,” Trigger said.

Tamela Peterson, the Oxford Center’s owner and CEO, was arraigned Tuesday in 52-4 District Court on second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges, as was Gary Marken, the facility’s primary manager, and safety director Jeffrey Mosteller. If bound over for a trial, a jury will decide where either charge fits the defendants’ conduct.

Aleta Moffitt, the operator of the hyperbaric chamber that exploded, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and intentionally placing false information on a medical record. All four pleaded not guilty.

Second degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison, while involuntary manslaughter can result in a sentence of up to 15 years behind bars.

The Michigan Attorney General’s office, which filed the charges, has accused the Oxford Center’s CEO and employees of disregarding safety protocols and using the chamber in ways it wasn’t intended to be used. The Oxford Center has said the “safety and well-being of the children we serve is our highest priority.”

Moffitt’s lawyer Ellen K. Michaels said Thursday Moffitt was an hourly worker at the Oxford Center who was adhering to the corporate policies presented to her by the center’s decision-makers.

“Everything that has been presented to the court to this point are allegations, not facts, not evidence,” Michaels said in a Thursday statement. “We look forward to reviewing the information that will be given to the defense through the discovery process and performing our own investigation. We believe in letting this process unfold.”

No grounding wire

Investigators made copies of hyperbaric chamber maintenance and service records at the scene and learned that the chamber that exploded was from 2013, while the other two in the facility were only a few years old, Trigger said. They also found a manual showing a wrist strap that patients should use when receiving treatment in the chamber to ground them. CCTV footage showed that Cooper was not wearing one, Trigger said.

“Photos taken of the scene at the time that the incident occurred were also re-reviewed,” Trigger said. “I observed what appeared to be a grounding wire for the chamber involved in the incident was wrapped in electrical tape and was clearly in worse condition or inconsistent with the other chambers in the room.”

The other patient receiving treatment at the time of the explosion and previous patients and employees at the Oxford Center all told police that a grounding wire had never been used in their hyperbaric treatments there, Trigger said. Employees who expressed concern to Peterson, Mosteller, and Marken about this policy were told that grounding wrist straps were not necessary, she added.

Police also found that starting in 2019, the Oxford Center removed items related to checking the chamber and patient grounding from daily and weekly checklists performed on the chambers.

Representatives from Sechrist, the hyperbaric chamber’s manufacturer, were shown a photo of the chamber that exploded and the electrical tape wrapped around the grounding wire.

“Sechrist personnel advised that they would have never repaired a wire in that way,” Trigger said. “They further advised that had a wire been repaired by an outside electrician, they would have had to tag out the chamber as being unusable. They would then have had to return to the location to inspect the work in the chamber before it could be used again. That did not occur.”

Trigger also claimed that one previous Oxford Center employee told her superiors she would no longer administer hyperbaric treatments due to the lack of safety practices and was fired.

The police consulted with two industry experts with “decades of experience in hyperbaric oxygen treatments,” according to Trigger. They also asked hyperbaric facilities at multiple hospitals and a privately run facility for insight into safety protocols, she said.

“The experts were able to determine, based on their opinion, that had Cooper been wearing the grounding wrist strap, he would still be alive,” Trigger said.

Mosteller told Trigger in an interview that Peterson had advised him that grounding straps were not necessary and said he performed his own testing to “convince himself to agree with that theory,” the detective said.

“Mosteller indicated that he would occasionally check the chamber grounding, but it was not done regularly,” Trigger said. “Employees were both advised of and shown an ‘experiment,’ that Jeff Mosteller had conducted that he felt made the grounding wrist straps unnecessary in order to justify not using them.”

At her Tuesday arraignment, Peterson’s attorney Gerald Gleeson said her parents both used the facility’s hyperbaric chambers, discounting the idea that she was operating the machines with “reckless abandon.”

Keeping the chambers full

Hyperbaric chambers are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat 13 conditions, ranging from decompression sickness to severe burns. The Oxford Center advertises their use for treatment of over 90 different conditions, including Alzheimer’s Disease and diabetes.

Upon reviewing Peterson’s cellphone and laptop, police found messages in which people ask whether the company was promoting hyperbaric treatments for erectile dysfunction, Trigger said.

“Peterson responds stating, ‘Whatever gets bodies in those chambers, lol,’ ” the detective said.

Police also found messages containing still photos from CCTV footage of Cooper burning in the chamber.

“In the message exchange along with those photos, she stated something to the effect of, ‘If my leg was on fire, I would at least try to hit it and put it out. He just laid there and did nothing,'” Trigger said.

When police attempted to execute a search warrant for Peterson’s cellular devices and laptops at the Brighton facility, she initially ran from investigators, Trigger said. She also allegedly told investigators that she’d had her son wipe her laptop days after the explosion, Trigger said.

“Conversations with investigators at the attorney general’s office made Troy investigators aware that the CEO of the company, Tamela Peterson, along with her IT personnel had a history of tampering with and/or destroying evidence, specifically CCTV footage and records related to the investigation that the AG’s office had previously been conducting,” Trigger said.

Investigators observed nine inconsistencies between internally recorded time stamps for Cooper’s treatments provided by Peterson’s attorney and CCTV footage of the treatments, Trigger said.

Cooper’s records that police recovered from the facility show that on the day of the explosion he continued to receive treatment after the fire occurred and he had died.

Rolling back machines

Two previous employees told police they observed Marken manually manipulating the hyperbaric chamber’s cycle counters, which measure the lifespan of the machine, Trigger said.

“They reported that they had personally observed Marken using a screwdriver to remove the panel from the side of the chamber, remove the cycle counter, and roll back the number in order to make the cycle count look lower and to extend the life of the chamber,” the Troy detective said. “They advised that they were confident that this was likely done at the direction of Peterson due to her level of involvement in the ongoings of the company.”

Previous employees also told police that Marken was Peterson’s “muscle” and they were “one and the same,” Trigger said.

Marken’s attorney Raymond Cassar said at his arraignment that he had not been to the Oxford Center facility in Troy in over three years.

“I don’t know where the information is coming from that he is rolling back any of these things, but I can tell you that we’re confident he hasn’t been to that facility because he worked at the Brighton facility,” Cassar said Tuesday.

“They reported that they had personally observed Marken using a screwdriver to remove the panel from the side of the chamber, remove the cycle counter, and roll back the number in order to make the cycle count look lower and to extend the life of the chamber,” the Troy detective said. “They advised that they were confident that this was likely done at the direction of Peterson due to her level of involvement in the ongoings of the company.”

Previous employees also told police that Marken was Peterson’s “muscle” and they were “one and the same,” Trigger said.

Marken’s attorney Raymond Cassar said at his arraignment that he had not been to the Oxford Center facility in Troy in over three years.

“I don’t know where the information is coming from that he is rolling back any of these things, but I can tell you that we’re confident he hasn’t been to that facility because he worked at the Brighton facility,” Cassar said Tuesday.

Safety and clothing guidelines

The National Fire Protection Association’s guidelines for hyperbaric chambers indicate that there should be a safety pause before a patient enters one to check that the clothing they wear is 100% cotton and that they don’t have any lotions or medical patches on, Trigger said. CCTV footage of Cooper’s entire visit shows that this did not occur, she said.

The experts that police consulted with also advised that a physician is required on scene for hyperbaric oxygen treatments, although one was not present for Cooper’s treatment, Trigger said. Of the defendants, Mosteller is the only one with a current certification to administer the treatments and none are physicians or nurses, she added.

While on scene at the Oxford Center in Troy, the experts noted that pillows inside the chambers were filled with 100% polyester, which is not allowed inside them, partially due to fire risk, Trigger said. The disclosure forms and waivers that patients and parents signed did not mention the risks of fire or death.

hmackay@detroitnews.com

 

Defendant Tami Peterson stands during her arraignment Tuesday, March 11, 2025, on charges related to the death of a 5-year-old boy inside a hyperbaric chamber in Troy. (Katy Kildee, The Detroit News)
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