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LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announces the results of three public integrity inquiries, which have resulted in charges in one of the cases involving law enforcement in Isabella County and two of any wrongdoing.
The cases were reviewed and assessed by the Public Integrity Unit (UPI) of the Ministry. The investigative agency that worked alongside the Department is mentioned in the case summaries below.
“These cases are another example of the scrutiny our public integrity team gives to all cases where officers’ conduct needs to be assessed to ensure that their oath to protect and serve is not overlooked.” , he added. said Nessel.
Charges Against Christopher Cluley – Isabella County Sheriff’s Department
On April 12, 2020, Staff Sgt. Christopher Cluley was working at the Isabella County Jail as a responsible administrator when he interacted with an inmate during a cell transfer. The transfer was the result of a verbal disagreement between the inmate and another correctional officer.
Once the inmate stood just outside the cell, video evidence shows Cluley grabbed the inmate, spun him around and pushed him into the cell door before pushing him against the wall next to the cell door. Then, after leading the inmate to the new cell, video evidence shows that Cluley pushed the inmate to the ground, where the inmate screamed in pain as he crashed to the ground.
An x-ray later determined that the inmate had sustained a fractured left knee.
Cluley was put on administrative leave the next day while the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department conducted an internal investigation. The Isabella County Sheriff’s Department then contacted the Michigan State Police (MSP) and the MSP’s Special Investigations Section completed its own investigation and referred the matter to the PIU.
Christopher Cluley is charged with the following in 76th District Court:
– two counts of misconduct in the exercise of functions, crimes of five years; and
– one count of aggravated assault, one year of contravention.
He appeared for arraignment on Wednesday morning and is scheduled to attend a probable causes conference on October 14. He received a personal bond of $ 21,000. Cluley has also been ordered to have no contact with the victim, no aggressive behavior and is not allowed to leave the state without permission from the court.
No charges in Ashley Novak case – Michigan State Police
On April 12, Michigan State Police soldiers responded to a house in Houghton following a social media post by Ashley Novak in which she had a gun pointed at her head with the caption , “If the cops come, it’s them, then me.”
Novak had previously been involved in law enforcement and three days earlier she had called 9-1-1 to ask for someone to come to her house before she “f —– g kill someone.”
Police called the home phone after seeing the latest social media post. A man responded and said he heard four gunshots. Novak was the only other person in the house at the time.
When officers arrived, it took about 20 minutes to locate Novak in a truck parked on the property, holding a gun. She eventually got out of the truck but refused to obey the soldiers’ orders to drop the gun.
She started walking towards the house where the male occupant was. As she opened the front door, still disobeying orders, three officers fired their weapons. She was shot in the midsection and treated for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital.
An investigation by the MSP and the PIU team’s review of all relevant reports determined that the police were justified in the shooting.
Regardless of this review, an arrest warrant was authorized for charges against Novak for resisting and obstructing state soldiers, felony assault, and firing a felon.
The department is in the process of making her appear on the felony warrant in this case.
The filing that specific charges are not justified against the officers involved in the Novak case may be read on the ministry website for more information.
No charges following review of student arrest by Onaway HS resource officer
On February 19, a resource manager at Onaway High School – who is an assistant in the Presque Isle County Sheriff’s Department – responded to a special education class where an 18-year-old student was throwing objects, including tables and chairs, and threatened the professor with a pair of scissors.
At first the resource officer sat down with the student and managed to calm him down, but the student then became aggressive and threw a pencil box at the resource officer. The assistant tried to calm the student again, but the student started to walk up to the resource officer. A physical altercation ensued and the two fell to the ground, where the resource officer attempted to gain control by lying on top of the student as he clawed the assistant. The student also attempted to grab the MP’s Taser and handgun and threatened to kill him.
Once handcuffed, the student’s mother was informed that he would be taken to the county jail.
The Presque Isle County District Attorney reviewed the arrest following the incident and determined that the Resource Officer had not used excessive force but exercised great caution, a asked the attorney general’s office to review the officer’s actions.
The Presque Isle County Sheriff’s Office Police Use of Force Policy states that an officer may use non-lethal force to prevent injury and stop aggressive behavior if a person is acting in an aggressive or threatening manner and alternatives to the use of force have failed or are not available.
After a thorough review of the case, the PIU determined that the resource manager had acted appropriately and that no charges were warranted.
The filing that the determined charges are not justified against the resource officer may be read on the ministry website for more information.
Questions regarding the current employment status of officers involved in the above cases should be directed to their respective departments.
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