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STERLING HEIGHTS/ROSEVILLE — The Michigan Department of Attorney General recently announced that two Sterling Heights police officers would face criminal charges for how they allegedly handled the arrest of a Roseville suspect earlier this year.
According to the state’s Oct. 8 press release, the two police officers – ages 29 and 31 – were charged that day in Roseville’s 39th District Court, each with two felony charges: felonious assault and misconduct in office. The state said that if the officers are found guilty, the assault charge can carry a sentence of four years in prison, while the misconduct charge can carry a sentence of five years.
Although charged, the two officers haven’t been formally arraigned, the state said. A representative from the 39th District Court said at press time that there was nothing on file regarding the suspects’ future court dates or listed attorneys.
The attorney general’s office earlier confirmed its investigation to the Sentry in June. The state says the two officers were involved in catching a domestic violence suspect Feb. 25. The suspect reportedly drove away from police when originally stopped, leading police to pursue — first via police vehicle and then by foot.
The attorney general’s statement said that after the pursuit, “while the suspect was on the ground, surrounded by officers, and after having received two taser deployments,” one accused officer allegedly urged the other accused officer “to deploy his K9 to bite the suspect.”
Then the accused officer who reportedly was handling the K9 allegedly “ordered the dog to bite the suspect, which he did, upon the suspect’s posterior right hip,” the release said.
In a statement, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said her office takes the investigation and prosecution of possible police misconduct seriously. She said police must use good judgment when using K-9s.
“K9 Officers are rigorously trained in the proper use of police dogs and should be held to the highest standards of conduct,” Nessel said. “We should be able to trust them to not deploy a dog as an unnecessary and unlawful punitive measure to brutally attack a human being.
“In this incident, deploying a K9 on a suspect already on the ground and well-surrounded by officers is not only horrific but illegal.”
According to Sterling Heights police, the February arrest stemmed from a domestic violence report at Greentrees Road, located near 15 Mile Road and Moravian Drive in Sterling Heights.
In a March statement, the Sterling Heights Police Department said the suspect had been noncompliant and had resisted arrest attempts. Police said “physical force, tasers, and a K9” were involved in the arrest, and they said authorities arranged medical care for the suspect after he received, in the statement’s words, “minor injuries.” The SHPD added that it placed two officers on leave following the arrest.
The suspect was later arraigned in 41-A District Court in Sterling Heights. The case has since been turned over to Macomb County Circuit Court, where according to a county website, a pretrial conference is scheduled for Oct. 25.
According to the county, the suspect currently faces multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including domestic violence; third-degree fleeing a police officer; assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer; operating while intoxicated, impaired or with the presence of a controlled substance, third offense; and driving while license suspended, second or subsequent offense.
When asked for comment, SHPD Capt. Mario Bastianelli sent an Oct. 7 statement, which said that the attorney general’s office informed the SHPD about the two officers’ charges. The statement explained that the Police Department did an internal review of the incident and also “called for an immediate, independent review of the incident by the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department,” which eventually led to the state’s investigation.
“The Sterling Heights Police Department takes any matter involving officers and their conduct very seriously and will continue to do so,” the SHPD said. “Both officers are on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the charges. As this is now a pending criminal matter, we are unable to provide further comment on the case.”
The suspect’s listed attorney could not be reached for comment by press time.
Learn more about the Michigan Department of Attorney General by visiting michigan.gov/ag.
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