A 12-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with a series of auto thefts from a Pontiac business.
The boy entered numerous vehicles in the business’ parking lot and was carrying a license plate when he was apprehended, a release from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said.
Through their investigation, detectives learned the boy had taken three or four vehicles over the past month, selling at least one of them for $30, the release said.
“This young man is on a very bad path, attempting to live his own grand theft auto,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in the release Saturday. “Hopefully intervention by the courts will send him on a better life path as well as stopping the constant theft from this business.”
The boy is being held in Oakland County Children’s Village. The case remains under investigation.
The city of Detroit launched new safety measures at the Rosa Parks and Jason Hargrove transit centers last month, including the installation of metal detectors and an increased police presence.
Detroit City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee held a meeting this week to discuss the issue. Transit advocates in attendance told council members the policy change puts riders at risk — especially during periods of extreme cold or extreme heat. Their concerns come as temperatures this week rise to dangerously high levels, with an extreme heat warning in effect for metro Detroit through Tuesday evening.
Producer Jack Filbrandt spoke with Detroit Documenters Coordinator Lynelle Herndon and BridgeDetroit Reporter Malachi Barrett about the security enhancements and concerns shared by residents at the meeting.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
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The case against a Detroit felon accused of fatally shooting two men over a dice game in Pontiac last fall has advanced to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial.
At the conclusion of a preliminary exam Monday in 50th District Court, the judge ruled there was probable cause for the charges against Davonte Demetri Franklin to proceed to the higher court.
Franklin, 33, is held without bond in the Oakland County Jail, charged with two counts of first-degree homicide for the deaths of Sidney Ward III, 20, of Highland Park, and Tyrone Davis Glenn Jr., 24, of Pontiac.
The fatal shootings happened Oct. 8, 2024 in an apartment on North Sanford Street near Fiddis Avenue, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Davonte Franklin booking photo
Evidence from the scene indicated Franklin used a potato in an attempt to muffle the sounds of the gunshots, but witnesses reported hearing the shootings, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators allege Franklin shot the two because he was angry from losing $80 in a dice game.
Franklin is also charged with felon in possession of a firearm and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Arraignment is scheduled for June 30 before Judge Kwame Rowe.
Police say the heroic actions of church members and staff at the CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne stopped a mass shooting on the property Sunday.
A livestream during services captured gunfire and panic when a man armed with a handgun and rifle and wearing a tactical vest hopped out of his truck and started shooting outside the church.
Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong says a security guard was shot in the leg by the attacker before a churchgoer and security staff were able to intervene.
“A parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly,” he said. “At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing fatal wounds.”
The suspect — identified as 31-year-old Brian Anthony Browning — never made it inside the church, police say. The guard who was shot was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to be fine. Nobody else was hurt.
The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. in Wayne, a city of about 17,000 people located about 25 miles west of Detroit.
Strong put to rest racist social media speculation about the shooter.
“His motivations are unknown, but at this point, it appears he was suffering from a mental health crisis,” he said. “We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members, who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting.”
About 150 people were inside the church at the time.
Police executing a search warrant at Browning’s home in Romulus — about 5 miles south of Wayne — found additional rifles, several more handguns and a large amount of ammunition, according to The Associated Press.
Police say Browning had no prior criminal history, but he had attended services at the church a few times in the last year and his mother is a member.
Associated Press writers Paul Sancya and Holly Ramer contributed to this report.
A 37-year-old Birmingham man accused of trying to break into a home by stabbing and kicking its front door is facing a charge of attempted home invasion.
According to the Bloomfield Township Police Department, officers arrested Peter Chan-Woong Chung on the porch of the home near Quarton and Lahser roads shortly before 2 a.m on June 21. A resident had called 911 to report a man dressed all in black was trying to break into the front door and was stabbing the door with a knife and trying to kick it in, police said.
Peter Chan-Woong Chung
Chung was under the influence of alcohol at the time, police said, and it doesn’t appear that he knows the residents.
The knife Chung allegedly used was found on a window ledge near the front door, police said. Damage to the door exceeded $1,000, police said.
At Chung’s arraignment, bond was set at $25,000 with a 10% provision — which allowed him to be released from custody after posting $2,500. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 3.
A 44-year-old Detroit man was shot and killed and three others wounded during a party at a Royal Oak Township park early Sunday morning, according to Michigan State Police.
Troopers from the Metro Detroit Post said the shooting was reported at 1:45 a.m., Sunday, June 22.
In a post on the social media platform X, state police said no arrests have been made and no motives have been determined. Detectives were gathering evidence and conducting interviews on Sunday.
State police were alerted to the shooting from an open 911 call during which the dispatcher could hear banging sounds and screaming in the background. Additional 911 calls were received about a shooting at the park
When troopers arrived, they found the 44-year-old with a gunshot would to his head. They administered first aid and the victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
There was a large crowd in the park from a party. Initially, they were not cooperative in leaving the crime scene, police said.
During the investigation, police learned of three additional victims being treated for gunshot wounds at three different local hospitals. They have been identified as a 33-year-old male from Detroit, a 15-year-old from Macomb and a 19-year-old from Detroit. The gender of the teens was not provided by police.
According to its website, there are three parks in the township: Civic Center Park, located between Ithaca and Majestic avenues; Mack-Rowe Park, located between Reimanville Avenue and Bethlawn Boulevard, and Grant Park, located off Cloverdale Avenue between Garden Lane and Westview Avenue. It’s not clear from the X post in which park the shooting occurred.
Troopers from Metro North, Metro South, and officers from Oak Park arrived and assisted with securing the scene.
The scene at a Royal Oak Township park after an early Sunday morning shooting, June 22. (Michigan State Police photo)
A 77-year-old Troy woman died Wednesday, three days after her vehicle was hit by another in Rochester Hills.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said Julianne McClure was driving a Chevrolet Trax southbound on Rochester Road near Hickory Lawn Street when a Toyota Highlander headed northbound crossed the centerline and hit her car head-on. A crew from the Rochester Hills Fire Department extricated McClure and transported her to a hospital where she subsequently died from her injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
McClure’s 15-year-old granddaughter, a Minnetonka, Minnesota resident, was a front seat passenger in the car and sustained a broken ankle. She was released from the hospital on Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said.
The driver of the Toyota Highlander, a 31-year-old Lincoln Park man wasn’t injured in the crash, but two backseat passengers in his car, ages 7 and 9, were taken to a hospital for treatment, the sheriff’s office said.
Neither alcohol nor drugs appear to have been factors in the incident, the sheriff’s office said. An investigation continues by the sheriff’s Crash Reconstruction Unit.
The mother of the Oxford High School shooter has asked to be released from prison while she appeals her involuntary manslaughter convictions. The attorney for Jennifer Crumbley filed the request this week with the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Her attorney argues that Crumbley should not be forced to remain prison while the legalities of the first-of-its-kind case are sorted out.
“At present, Mrs. Crumbley has been incarcerated for over three-and-a-half years,” says the filing dated Tuesday. “She should not be forced to serve additional years of incarceration before the appellate courts can decide, with finality, her dispositive and substantial legal questions of first impression which may result in her convictions being vacated.”
Michael Dezsi, Crumbley’s attorney, told the Michigan Public Radio Network that Crumbley does not pose a threat if she is released on bond.
“The other thing that she has to prove in order to get a bond on appeal is that she has a substantial issue of law or fact and I don’t think anybody can deny that Mrs. Crumbley has a substantial question of law that she is presenting on appeal, namely which is did she even commit a crime in the first place,” he said.
Dezsi said the state’s manslaughter statute has never been used in this way to level charges against the parent of a murderer.
“They were different from anything we’ve ever seen before and it is our position that there certainly is no law in Michigan that allows for the prosecution to charge her for the intentional criminal acts of a third person, whether that be her son or somebody else,” he said.
Last week, an Oakland County judge denied the requests of Jennifer Crumbley and her husband, James, for new trials. Judge Cheryl Matthews held the Crumbleys received fair trials, although the prosecution should have shared details of some witness agreements.
Crumbley’s son is serving a life-without-parole sentence for the 2021 school shooting that killed four students and injured seven people. A jury convicted Jennifer and James Crumbley of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors argued they failed to address clear signs their son was spiraling toward violence.
A spokesperson for Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said her office opposes releasing Jennifer Crumbley in part because she would be a flight risk.
“A jury convicted Jennifer Crumbley for her actions that led to the deaths of Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Madisyn Baldwin, and Justin Shilling. That verdict was upheld after careful review by the Circuit Court,” said spokesperson Jeff Wattrick in an email. “Bond has been denied multiple times previously because Mrs. Crumbley was, and remains, a flight risk with no known ties to the community and a past attempt to conceal her whereabouts. The interests of justice are served by again denying bond so she can continue serving her sentence.”
Deszi said he expects the Court of Appeals to rule quickly on his motion. The court will also have to rule on whether to hear the appeal. He said whichever side loses will almost certainly take the case to the Michigan Supreme Court.
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Come November, Detroit residents will decide who will lead the city into its next chapter. Nine candidates and a write-in say they have a path forward.
Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is among them. Serving as chief from 2013 to 2021, he helped speed up police response times and implemented “Project Green Light” for businesses to get police attention more quickly, among other accomplishments. Craig also served as police chief in both Cincinnati and Portland, Maine.
Now, Craig is the only Republican candidate running for mayor of Detroit, and he says he’d use his experience rooting out waste in government to increase efficiency and utilize city resources better.
He joined The Metro on Tuesday to talk about his mayoral bid and what sets him apart. Only two candidates will move forward to November’s general election following the Aug. 5 primary.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
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BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) — Police have recovered writings that mentioned the names of multiple lawmakers and other officials in the fake police car they believe a suspect used in the shooting of two Democratic legislators in Minnesota.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said that the writings that were recovered identified many lawmakers and other officials. The writings were discovered when officers searched a phony police car they believe the suspect used.
Melissa Hortman, a former Minnesota House Speaker, and her spouse were shot and killed early Saturday in their Brooklyn Park home. A second state lawmaker, Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, were shot multiple times in Champlin. Officials say both Hortman and Hoffman were mentioned in the suspect’s writings.
“When we did a search of the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials. We immediately made alerts to the state. We took action on alerting them and providing security where necessary,” said Bruley.
Authorities were actively searching for a suspect in the hours following the shootings. Hundreds of police and sheriff deputies from departments in the region, some in tactical gear with assault style weapons are scattered through the town. Occasional police roadblocks where cars are stopped and checked.
Gov. Tim Walz said Hortman and Hoffman were deliberately targeted.
“We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,” Walz said at a press conference Saturday. “Those responsible for this will be held accountable.”
Hoffman, a Democrat, was first elected in 2012. He previously served as vice chair of the Anoka Hennepin School Board, which manages the largest school district in Minnesota. Hoffman and his wife have one daughter. He represents a district north of Minneapolis.
At the time of her death, Hortman was the top Democratic leader in the state Legislature. She was also a former House speaker. She was first elected in 2004. She and her husband had two children.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said that authorities were actively searching for a suspect.
Autopsies will be done to determine extent of injuries, but Hortman and her spouse died from gunshot wounds, Evans said. A “shelter in place” order was in effect early Saturday.
Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said the suspect was posing as a law enforcement officer.
“Suspect exploited the trust of our uniforms, what our uniforms are meant to represent. That betrayal is deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility,” he said.
Police Chief Mark Bruley said the suspect fled out of the back of Hortman’s house after an exchange of gunfire with police.
The suspect was dressed like a uniformed officer and operating a vehicle that “looked exactly like an SUV squad car. It was equipped with lights, emergency lights and looked exactly like a police vehicle,” Bruley said.
President Donald Trump said in a White House statement that the FBI would join in the investigation.
“Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring, called the attack “evil” and said she was “heartbroken beyond words” by the killings of Hortman and her husband, Mark.
“With the law enforcement response ongoing and details still emerging, I will simply ask all Minnesotans to please lift up in prayer the victims of this horrific attack, as well as the law enforcement personnel still working to apprehend the perpetrator,” Demuth said in a statement.
The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated during a time of deep political divisions.
GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization led by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement.
“My family and I know the horror of a targeted shooting all too well,” Giffords said. “An attack against lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself. Leaders must speak out and condemn the fomenting violent extremism that threatens everything this country stands for.”
Giffords was shot in the head in 2011 by a gunman who killed six people and injured 12 others. She stepped down from Congress in January 2012 to focus on her recovery.
—AP’s Tim Sullivan contributed to this report
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Royal Oak resident Jennifer Suzanne Cataldo is charged with one count of first-degree murder after allegedly attacking her mother, causing injuries that led to her death a day later.
According to a release put out by Royal Oak police Friday afternoon, officers responded to a call for assistance at a residence in the 3600 block of Crooks Road. The caller, a 66-year-old Fenton resident, said her 45-year-old daughter was experiencing a mental health crisis and needed to be taken to the hospital.
Jennifer Suzanne Cataldo is charged with first-degree murder after allegedly attacking and killing her mother last week.
(PHOTO ROYAL OAK POLICE)
When officers arrived, they spoke to the daughter, Jennifer Cataldo, and detected signs of a struggle. Officers entered Cataldo’s apartment and found her mother, Leslie Ann Cataldo, unresponsive on the floor.
The victim had suffered a life-threatening neck wound and was transported to Corewell Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak where she underwent emergency surgery. On Thursday afternoon, Leslie Cataldo died from her injuries.
Jennifer Cataldo was taken into custody at her apartment without incident.
Cataldo was arraigned in 44th District Court before Magistrate Jill Bankey Friday and charged with one count of first-degree murder, which carries a penalty of life in prison. Bankey denied bond and Cataldo, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, was remanded to the Oakland County Jail.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for June 13, 10:15 a.m. in front of Judge Andrew Kowalkowski. Cataldo’s criminal history includes a 2018 drunk driving conviction.
Cataldo was charged Friday in the 44th District Court. (FILE PHOTO)
So-called “ghost guns” could become illegal in Michigan under new bills in the state House.
Those are firearms often 3D printed or assembled in kits that don’t have serial numbers, making them very hard for law enforcement to track.
One bill in the package would require owners of existing ghost guns to get them serialized within 18 months. Anyone who builds a firearm, unfinished frame, or receiver at home would have 10 days after finishing their project to get it serialized.
Bill sponsor state Rep. Morgan Foreman (D-Pittsfield Twp) said it’s a public safety issue more than it is a Second Amendment issue.
“No one needs an untraceable ghost gun. These weapons are designed to avoid detection, responsibility, and justice. These are tools for people who intend to do harm and get away with it,” Foreman said during a press conference Wednesday.
But critics of the bills say they don’t believe there’s a need for them.
Representative Phil Green (R-Millington) chairs the Michigan legislative Second Amendment Caucus. Green said it’d be better to have tougher enforcement of existing laws.
“We’re dealing with situations where we’re outlawing basically possession of something and then if they do something wrong, now there’s three or more crimes that you’ve committed. How about we just deal with what you did wrong?” Green said.
Under the legislation, building, selling, or having a firearm, frame, or receiver without a serial number would become a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Democrats introduced similar bills last term when their party controlled the entire legislative process but failed to pass. The bills are likely to have a tougher time now that Republicans run the House again.
Similar legislation in the Democratic-controlled Michigan Senate, however, is scheduled for a committee hearing in that chamber Thursday at noon.
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An Oak Park man was recently struck and killed while crossing a street in Ohio, police said.
Jamil Osman, 32, was walking in the 200 block of North Coy Road, near Ice Castle Drive in the city of Oregon, a suburb located just east of Toledo, at about 11:23 p.m. on May 31, Oregon police said in a press release.
He attempted to cross the street and was struck by a Toyota traveling south on Coy.
Osman was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died the next day, authorities said.
The driver of the vehicle, Caleb Sims, 31, of Toledo, was not impaired and was wearing his seatbelt when he struck Osman, police said. As of Tuesday, he had not been charged in the crash.
Police have not released any further information and said the incident remains under investigation.
A 34-year-old West Bloomfield mother is facing a criminal charge for allegedly leaving a loaded gun in her child’s backpack which was brought into a Royal Oak daycare center.
Karen Reid is charged with reckless use of a firearm — a misdemeanor — for the alleged May 14 incident.
According to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, Reid handed the daycare employee the backpack when she dropped off her 3-year-old at the childcare facility.
It was supposed to have the child’s snack in it, but when the employee opened the backpack the loaded handgun was found. It’s alleged Reid put the gun in the backpack to carry it to and from her car but failed to remove it before dropping off her child.
“I’m grateful this is a story about a misdemeanor charge instead of a tragedy,” Prosecutor Karen McDonald stated in a news release. “A loaded gun needs to be secured. Failing to do so around small children is absolutely reckless. The employee who found the gun should be commended for quickly securing it and contacting police.”
The charge is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine. It can also result in suspension of hunting privileges for up to three years.
In a stunning announcement Wednesday, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission issued a public complainant detailing 10 counts of infractions against Taylor Judge Joseph Slaven of the 23rd District Court.
Slaven has been on the bench since Jan. 1, 2015.
The counts are:
• False statement regarding recorded conversations
• Use of judicial position to help a candidate
• Inappropriate demeanor and disrespect
• Disrespectful emails
• Disregard of the law with respect to wearing a rob
• Concealing face of Zoom
• Disrespectful behavior regarding security camera
• Interference with Zoom staff
• Knowing driving with expired and obliterated license plate
• False statements to the commission
The following is a brief synopsis of some of the individual counts.
False statements
Slaven had numerous conversations in 2021 and early 2022 with the new chief Judge Victoria Shackelford after she was appointed to the bench. When they met, the complaint said Slaven did not tell her that he was recording their conversation.
When she directly asked if she was being recorded, he told her no — knowing the statement was false, the complaint said.
Helping a candidate
According to the complaint, in 2022 Slaven used his judicial position on numerous occasions to promote Michael Tinney, a candidate for 23rd District Court judge.
During a Law Day celebration at the courthouse, Slaven displayed a vertical sign that spelled Tinney in an acrostic-style display.
The following year when Tinney was considering another run at the seat, during a livestreamed Zoom court session Slaven took the opportunity to talk about his friend, calling him a “really good guy” and thanking him for his outlook on the law and saying he looks forward to doing more community service with him and community activism.
On a separate occasion, Slaven is accused of using courthouse resources to print 160 copies of a document called, “Mike Tinney is a Man of the People” to assist his campaign.
Disrespect
Slaven posted on his Facebook page about a Law Day event in 2022 in which supporters of Shackelford attended. He addressed the event in part by posting, “they are simple minded buffoons!! BC, MG, DW, MF, RH, GT…..smh and shame on them.”
He allegedly said the people with those initials “Iie and twist things.”
The initials were those of all Shackelford’s supporters in attendance at Law Day.
On another occasion during a livestream Zoom hearing, Slaven discovered some show cause hearings had been added to his docket without his permission.
He then stated that the court administrator “thinks she can make my docket better than I can. Good luck with that. She can’t even do her ***damn job.”
On Nov. 20, 2023, during a livestream Zoom hearing, Slaven, referring to Chief Judge Shackelford, reportedly said: “I’m sorry that you can’t handle your docket. I’m sorry you don’t know the law. I’m sorry the court rules seem to be somewhat of a foreign language. The public needs to know that people who are in certain positions are not competent.”
Disrespectful on camera
In April 2024 new security cameras were placed throughout the courthouse. Shortly thereafter, on nine occasions, Slaven allegedly raised his middle finger to make an obscene gesture toward the camera as he walked by it or sometimes used his middle finger to ostentatiously push up his glasses as he walked by the camera.
In a January 16, 2024 Zoom hearing, Slaven said the following in reference to Shackelford during a live Zoom feed between hearings: “We’re going to have a bonfire and taking everything with her name on it and she’s —-ing voted out, gone…I will bring burn barrels.”
Wearing a rob
It is required that a judge wear a black robe when acting in an official capacity in the courtroom.
Slaven was reminded numerous times of the requirement, but continuously did otherwise.
On dates in 2022 that included April 27 and Sept. 12 and 13, Slaven wore a polo shirt with no visible robe during court proceedings on Zoom, the commission alleges.
The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a body was found Thursday afternoon in the Clinton River near Shadyside Park in Mount Clemens.
Investigators were not able to provide much information as the corpse was decomposed. It was not immediately known if the remains were a male or female, or if foul play was suspected, deputies said.
Someone called 911 to report the body in the river under the Southbound Gratiot Avenue bridge around 2:25 p.m. The caller said two feet were visible in the middle of the river.
“He also stated there was a lot of debris in the water,” deputies said in a news release.
According to the release, deputies responded and confirmed a body was located underwater. The Sheriff’s Marine Division arrived to assist and remove the remains from the water.
Investigators said the body will be transported to the Macomb County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The investigation is ongoing, and further updates will be provided as they become available.
The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body that was found in the Clinton River under the Southbound Gratiot bridge in Mount Clemens Thursday afternoon.
(MACOMB DAILY FILE PHOTO)
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard pressed lawmakers on Capitol Hill this month to grant state and local law enforcement the authority to disable drones when they pose a threat to the public or are operating illegally.
Bouchard and U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, recently spoke with The Detroit News about the issue. Bouchard lamented that U.S. lawmakers haven’t taken action despite widespread reports of mysterious drones in New Jersey and other communities last year and the safety risks that unmanned aircraft may pose to airports and large public gatherings like concerts and football games.
Opponents have raised concerns about the change infringing on First Amendment and civil liberties protections, government surveillance and property rights.
McClain’s office said she’s having conversations about potential legislation to address the drone issue.
In the Senate, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, has pushed bipartisan legislation for the last two sessions of Congress that would grant the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and local law enforcement more authority to combat potential threats posed by drones.
The Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act would allow DHS and DOJ to disable drones determined to pose a security risk. The legislation would also establish a pilot program that allows state and local law enforcement to help mitigate an urgent drone threat, according to a bill summary.
The bill, which hasn’t passed Congress, also would allow critical infrastructure owners and operators — like stadium operators — to detect, identify and track a drone threat so they can report it to state and local law enforcement for further investigation.
The following partial transcript has been edited for clarity.
Question: Sheriff, what are you talking about with the chairwoman this week and the other lawmakers that you’re visiting (in Washington, D.C.)?
Bouchard: First and foremost, it is because of Police Week. We’re very connected to that on lots of levels, but especially because we had Deputy Bradley Reckling ambushed and murdered less than a year ago.
This week is dedicated to not just police officers in general, but today is Police Memorial Day, so it’s especially heartbreaking. I was with his widow a number of times. I was with her last night ― four kids under the age of 7. We’re talking about the risk that our people face day in day out.
I’m reiterating that to the members (of Congress) that I meet with that we need their support to lift up families that are hurting, but also to support the ones that are going on every day to face the same threats.
The Michigan state trooper that was shot multiple times recently was trailing a car that my same auto-theft team was on when (Reckling) was murdered. They had been trailing it the night before. So that could have been the very same unit in a shootout less than a year later. Thankfully, the trooper wasn’t killed, but that could have been a dead trooper or could have been one of my deputies on the same team. …
I’m part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force: You saw that an individual wanted to commit a terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS in Warren, and he wanted to use drones?
Q: That was front-page news. … He launched a drone to try to carry out an attack at the Army’s TACOM (Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command) facility.
McClain: But talk about the drone issue, because that’s really what we in Congress need to do a better job of. And this is where I appreciate the relationship and the partnership that I have with Sheriff Bouchard ― he is not afraid to call me and tell me what he needs, what he’s dealing with, and the resources that he needs. And it’s our job to legislate.
We need to have a paradigm shift up here in D.C. We need to fund the police, and we need to make sure that we respect them, but also give them the resources they need, whether it’s for mental health, whether it’s for drones, whether it’s for retirement. They put their lives on the line, day in and day out, to make sure that they have our backs. I think the least we can do is make sure we have theirs.
And I appreciate the relationship, because he will call and advocate ― very sternly, I might add.
Bouchard: That attack (in Warren) in particular was going to be kicked off with a drone, right? And we have been banging the drum very loudly about the threats of drones, and it’s not a case of if but when. It’s going to happen here.
We’ve seen it operationally already ― dropping weapons and contraband into prisons and jails. It’s almost a regular thing now, but we have no ability to intervene. We’ve seen it used as weapons all over the world ― Ukraine, Israel ― with great effect. But even closer, Mexican cartels attacked a Mexican general’s convoy and blew it up with drones.
You can buy these things off the shelf and weaponize them very cheaply.
Q: What are you asking Congress to do?
Bouchard: Give us the authority to intervene that they have held only to federal agencies.
So for example, you have certain events. They’re called SEAR events, or national security events: The Republican National Convention, Democratic National Convention, the Super Bowl, things like that. It gets a supreme level of security and safety, including air restrictions, and it also gets counter-drone capability.
So my drone unit managed, with the federal government, the air operations over the NFL Draft when it was in Detroit last year. But the feds are the only ones that have the ability to take intervention action against a hostile or even a bad hobbyist that doesn’t understand that they could cause a very big problem. We don’t have the authority to do that, and there’s only a very limited number ― typically about two teams that are operating anywhere in the country ― that can do those kinds of things.
So my worst nightmare is, you know, we have the Dream Cruise every year: 1.3 million people in a 13-mile stretch. We run drone and counter drone and crude aircraft and air assets during it. Last year, we had like 96 interventions in our airspace over the Dream Cruise that were illegal.
McClain: And they can’t do anything.
Bouchard: We can’t do anything about it. Other than we can see the drone on our drone-detection systems that we already have. We can see where the operator launched from, but we don’t have the systems to intervene ―
McClain: Or the authority really, to intervene, right?
Bouchard: And three of those went past my crude aircraft to 1,480 feet. Had that hit the cockpit of our helicopter, you’d have a catastrophic crash over the Dream Cruise into the crowd. And it was not by intervention that didn’t happen, it was by luck. We can’t survive on luck in my world.
If you look at the California wildfires, they had a plane that was distributing water and putting out fires that was pierced by a hobbyist drone and had to make an emergency landing. It took it out of commission. And we’ve got records of Life Flights that can’t land because drone operators are curious what’s going on.
All we’re asking for is pretty simple: Allow us, local and state law enforcement, to have the same authority that the federal government has to intervene when a drone is operating illegally and or is an immediate threat to the public. Those are the only circumstances we want to intervene. That’s all we’re asking for.
Q: Which federal agencies are opposed to this?
Bouchard: It has to come from Congress. The federal agencies support us. DHS and I did a press conference three years ago. They said they want us to have it. And the best we’ve gotten so far is a proposal to do a pilot in five sites in the country. Well, a pilot is going to be, what, three years, and then by the time you’re talking seven years out. The threat’s today.
McClain: Congress definitely needs to act on this. There is no question in my mind that we need to do that. We need to act on it.
My frustration is nothing moves quick, and my frustration is instead of being proactive or preemptive, what’s going to happen is we’re going to have a tragedy happen, and then all of a sudden, we’re going to end up over-regulating this, when, if we just did our job, we could do this now.
The problem gets into First Amendment rights. … I mean, I’m all for First Amendment rights. I’m all for the property rights. I’m all for that. But at the end of the day, if there’s a threat, I want my local police officers to be able to protect me and the 1.3 million people that are in a 13-mile radius to keep us safe. I think if the public knew how dangerous it was, they would be lobbying us a lot more to take care of this.
Q: Where is your bill on this? Is it in committee?
McClain: We’ve had a couple bills on it, but it gets stalled because they get hung up on one little thing.
And remember, you got to have 60 votes in the Senate, and we have a whole pocket of people that aren’t real pro-law enforcement. It’s not me, and it’s not a lot of my colleagues, but they’re out there. So we got to make sure that we raise awareness to this. … It’s a very important subject that the sheriff and I have been working on.
Bouchard: It’s one of the issues that Police Week kind of gives us a chance to talk about it. What are the threats we see and what are the ways that the federal government, in particular Congress, can help us face those? Some of it, it’s not money. It’s partnership or authorization or integration of effort, things like that.
Q: In the Senate, Gary Peters is on the Homeland Security Committee. He used to be the committee’s chair, and he has an interest in this drone issue and a bill on this.
Bouchard: Yeah, we supported his bill. And the senator who kind of tied things up was (Kentucky Republican Sen.) Rand Paul, which makes our leap a little harder. (Paul is now the committee chair.)
I think a lot of it is some of the members are so busy, they don’t take the moment to sit down and listen to somebody that’s actually on the ground doing the job. It’s very different to imagine than it is to operate. And the concerns about civil liberties or spying or First Amendment, they vanish when we tell them how it’s utilized.
It’s not utilized to spy or to do surveillance because battery life, No. 1, is very small. If you’re going to do surveillance, you’re going to do it from a high-altitude, crewed aircraft that has loiter capability. If you’re swapping batteries every 15 to 20 minutes, and the law requires us, like anybody else, to be 400 feet or below ― that’s visible, and it can even be heard most of the time. So it’s not a surveillance tool. We use it for emergencies or to keep an eye on a situation as it develops.
The second thing is intervention would only come when the drone is a danger or it’s breaking the law. People say, ‘What if it’s being used to monitor the police?’ We don’t care. We’re the most monitored profession on the planet. We have body cameras. We have dash cameras.
McClain: Everybody’s out there with their cellphone.
Bouchard: Everybody’s got a cellphone. There’s cameras on every corner. That’s not our concern. If we’re doing something wrong, we own it and have to fix it, and we should be held accountable. We get that.
But the drone would never be interfered with because you’re watching us. It would only be interfered with if it was breaking the law or was an immediate threat. That’s it. The other misnomer is that, well, what if you’re going to intercept the video feed? There’s no technology to do that. That’s not why we would intervene. And why do we need your feed if we have our own air assets?
Q: Wasn’t there a Green Day concert last year at Comerica Park where drones were an issue?
Bouchard: There were two events in Michigan where they rushed people off the stage, and people panicked, because of a drone. Thankfully, it was not an adversary but a hobbyist that did stupid things. So far, we’ve been lucky, because they’ve been people that are either uneducated about the law or don’t care. But they’re not adversarial.
Take, for example, President Trump’s assassination attempt last summer. We did a lot of the drone detection and drone work around the (presidential candidate) visits to Michigan, because we have one of the most advanced air capabilities in the country.
That individual flew a drone for pre-op surveillance of where the president was going to speak and probably determined the line-of-sight location that he chose to shoot from. What if instead, he did a pre-op surveillance with that drone and geo-marked that stage and then went back a half a mile or a mile, and waited for the president to take the stage, as he could see on live TV, and launched a drone that was explosive-bearing right to the stage?
These are all things I wake up in the night going, this is not if, it’s when, and we need to do something. And you can take it to everyday examples: UM and Michigan Stadium and Spartan Stadium, Comerica Park are having games every day.
And if you have these new pilot programs ― pick which one of the three you want to be at. You only get one.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard speaks during a press conference in November 2024. (David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS)
Residents of Eastpointe and Rochester Hills are among four people accused by federal authorities of operating a $63-million scheme to steal checks from people’s mail and sell them.
Jaiswan Williams, 31, of Rochester Hills; Dequan Foreman, 30, of Eastpointe; Vanessa Hargrove, 39, of Detroit; and Crystal Jenkins, 31, of Detroit, have been charged with conspiracy to aid and abet bank and wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon announced Friday.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
Hargrove and Jenkins were Postal Service employees who “diverted and ultimately stole checks and other negotiable instruments from the mail, including a high volume of tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury,” officials said in a news release. Williams and Foreman administered online marketplaces on which they sold the checks, officials said.
“When public employees break the public trust, they enrich themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer and undermine the institution itself,” Gorgon said in the release. “We will find and prosecute those who exploit their position for personal gain. We are committed to disrupting these shadowy schemes.”
According to allegations submitted by federal investigators, Hargrove and Jenkins sold the stolen checks to Williams and Foreman, who marketed them for sale on Telegram Messenger, a cloud-based, cross-platform instant messaging application. Prices varied based on the face-value of the checks. One of the Telegram channels, named “Whole Foods Slipsss,” was used to advertise high-dollar checks while another channel, “Uber Eats Slips,” was used to advertise lower-dollar checks. “Slips” is a term commonly used in these schemes to refer to stolen checks.
Transactions were completed via other methods using a variety of electronic payment systems. Purchasers of these checks would then attempt to fraudulently cash them using a variety of methods.
According to a report in Reuters news service and other media outlets Thursday, Vietnam authorities have instructed telecommunication service providers to block Telegram for not cooperating in combating alleged crimes committed by its users. Unrelated to the alleged stolen-check scheme, 55 men were arrested in France this week as part of an operation to dismantle a suspected pedophile ring that allegedly operated over Telegram, following a 10-month investigation, according to multiple media reports. Telegram was founded in 2013 by two Russian brothers and is headquarted in Dubai, United Emerites.
Regarding the charges against the foursome, Sean McStravick, acting inspector in charge of the Postal Inspection Service’s Detroit Division, thanked investigative partners for helping to “maintain the integrity and respectability of the U.S. Postal Service.”
“The charges against these four individuals underscore the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s commitment to securing the nation’s mail system from those who seek to exploit it for personal and financial gain,” McStravick added in the release. “Postal Inspectors utilize every tool at their disposal, including crucial partnerships, to uncover, investigate, and prosecute these schemes to the fullest extent of the law.”
Williams also faces charges on allegations of money laundering for activities dating back to October 2022, and for millions of dollars of fraudulent COVID-19 pandemic unemployment insurance benefit claims submitted between August and December 2020.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General with assistant from the Postal Inspection Service, participating investigative agencies included the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General.
The case is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Ryan A. Particka and Darrin Crawford.
The U.S. District Court building in Detroit.
U.S. DISTRICT COURT PHOTO
A band of alleged mail thieves stole $63 million worth of checks from the U.S. Postal Service and sold them on the black market, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Federal court records describe an inside job from October 2022 through December 2023 that involved four people, including a popular Metro Detroit rapper and two U.S. Postal Service employees accused of stealing checks as well as other “negotiable instruments” deposited in the mail. That included a large volume of IRS tax refund checks.
The checks were, in turn, given to co-conspirators on consignment before being sold on Telegram Messenger, a cloud-based instant messaging service. The checks were sold on two Telegram channels: “Whole Foods Slipsss” and “Uber Eats Slips.”
The stolen checks — known on the street as “slips” — were sold at a deep discount, often for pennies on the dollar, prosecutors allege.
“When public employees break the public trust, they enrich themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer and undermine the institution itself,” Interim U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. “We will find and prosecute those who exploit their position for personal gain.”
Four people were charged with conspiracy to aid and abet bank and wire fraud, a 30-year felony. They were charged in a criminal information, a type of federal charge that indicates a guilty plea is expected soon.
Those charged are:
∎ Rapper Jaiswan Williams, 31, of Rochester Hills, who prosecutors say was the administrator of the “Whole Foods Slipsss” channel, which advertised high-dollar stolen checks
∎ Daquan Foreman, 30, of Eastpointe, who was the “Uber Eats Slips” channel administrator, according to the government.
∎ Vanessa Hargrove, 39, of Detroit, a mail processing clerk at the postal service’s Detroit Processing & Distribution Center.
∎ Ohio resident Crystal Jenkins,31, of Detroit, a mail processing clerk at the postal service’s Dayton Processing & Distribution Center in Ohio.
Williams’ lawyer, Steve Fishman, declined comment Friday. Lawyers for the others were not listed in court records.
Subscribers to the Telegram channels would buy the checks using various methods, including the mobile financial services platforms Cash App and Apple Pay and Bitcoin.
“The total face value of the checks posted to ‘Whole Foods Slipsss’ and ‘Uber Eats Slips’ during the time period covered by the information was over $63 million,” according to the criminal case.
People who bought the checks would try to deposit them at banks and use information found on the checks to create counterfeit checks, according to the government.
Williams also is accused of laundering money generated by the conspiracy and wire fraud by illegally obtaining pandemic assistance.
Four people were charged in federal court with stealing$63 million worth of checks from the U.S. Postal Service. A Rochester Hills man was among those charged. (Getty Images photo)
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