Goodrich bus crash

On Jan. 6, at about 6:45 a.m., a 35-year-old Burton man crashed his work truck into the rearend of a Goodrich school bus that was stopped in the 7400 block of East Bristol Road to pick up students.

There were a total of 13 students from the high school and middle school on the bus at the time. One female student injured in the crash was treated and released from a local medical facility.

The responsible driver fled the scene before police arrival after bystanders helped him out of the vehicle. He was not located for 48 hours and then told police he didn’t remember the crash. He faced numerous charges.

Brandon expands substation

command

The Brandon Township Board approved by a 4-3 vote at their Jan. 4 meeting a motion to replace one of the patrol investigators with a lieutenant. The motion does not change the number of police officers contracted to serve the township through the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

OCSO Undersheriff Michael McCabe and Major Bob Smith were present to explain to the board why the change should be made.

Smith noted that a substation commander has more to do than supervise the deputies on road patrol. The commander also acts as a liaison to governmental entities, promotes community policing with the stakeholders, resolves contract issues, and communicates regularly with the prosecutor’s office.

“The bottom line is, it’s time for realignment so you don’t have a 1-man operation,’ Smith said. ‘A sergeant can adjust schedules to come in on midnights, but it’s hard to ask of one individual. Give us the numbers more normative nationwide so our numbers will be better in a court of law if we are faced with a situation… We deal with more complex issues than we did 12 years ago and deputies need supervision.”

Previously, a sergeant was the highest chain of command at the substation. Now, the substation will have a lieutenant, as well as a sergeant who will also serve as a detective.

The change in command structure added $35,459 to the annual OCSO contract for the township, which the board approved in November at a cost of $1,603,501 for 2016. The township contracts for 12 officers, which previously included 9 road patrol deputies, one sergeant, one patrol investigator (detective) and one school liaison officer.

Embezzlement

On Jan. 8, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office announced Michael LaJoice, a 36-year-old Tyrone Township resident and chief financial officer of the Clarkston Brandon Community Credit Union, had been charged with 14 counts of embezzlement at 52-2 District Court.

Two days earlier, LaJoice had walked into the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Pontiac and confessed to embezzling approximately $20 million from the CBCCU over the course of his 12 years employment at the Independence Township branch. The confession came after an audit. The credit union also had a branch in Ortonville.

According to a statement dated Jan. 11 and released by CBCCU Chief Executive Officer Donna Bullard, credit union leadership was made aware the week of Jan. 4 of “potentially serious accounting irregularities during a routine visit from the Department of Insurance and Financial Services. After Michael LaJoice was confronted about the errors, he failed to show up for work the following day and was immediately terminated as chief financial officer, a position that he held since June 2015.”

LaJoice turned himself in to police on Jan. 6, OCSO detectives confirmed with credit union officials the credibility of his statements and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office subsequently authorized the 14-count warrant.

“We are appalled and dismayed by this news,” said Bullard in the statement. “Our first and most important priority is expressing our profound regret to our members and the community that this crime occurred and was not uncovered sooner. During the entirety of LaJoice’s employment, Clarkston Brandon Credit Union has had regular examinations and audits that were conducted in accordance with the Michigan Credit Union Act.”

The OCSO, along with the FBI and the National Credit Union Administration, began a lengthy investigation.

“I’m in my 39th year with the sheriff’s office and I’ve never seen an embezzlement from a financial institution this large,” said OCSO Undersheriff Michael McCabe. “We can’t answer why it’s this large and has gone on for this long. This has been going on for probably 12 years. They are audited on a regular basis.”

Flint water crisis

In the first three weeks of January, Gov. Rick Snyder declared a state emergency for Genesee County regarding the

Flint water crisis, requested Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, and requested a presidential declaration of a major disaster in Flint. He was denied the disaster declaration, reserved for natural disasters, but granted an emergency declaration and federal aid.

The crisis got its start in April 2014 when the City of Flint began providing residents with water from the Flint River as a way to save money. The corrosive water, which was left untreated, leached lead from pipes.

According to a timeline of the Flint water crisis at michigan.gov, Flint began the first of two 6-month monitoring periods for lead and copper in the water in July 2014. In February 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality discussed high levels of lead in the water and a DEQ email to the EPA stated the Flint water treatment plant had an “optimized corrosion control program.” Almost two months later, the DEQ reported to the EPA that no corrosion control treatment was in place.

Meanwhile, anxiety was growing. A Flint doctor raised concerns to officials, as did a Virginia Tech professor, both of whom had performed tests, one on patients, the other on water samples, and found alarming lead levels, but according to the timeline, the DEQ dismissed the professor’s findings. The timeline shows that in August 2015, church pastors were giving out water filters. It wasn’t until Oct. 1, 2015 that the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed a lead problem and the City of Flint warned residents to not drink the water. On Oct. 16, Flint reconnected with the Detroit Water and Sewer Department System (which takes water from Lake Huron). On Dec. 14, 2015 the City of Flint declared an emergency. About two weeks later, the DEQ director as well as the communications director resigned.

Locally, churches and residents stepped up to help, too.

Peter Plum is the emergency water crisis coordinator for the Crossroads District of the United Methodist Church. The Crossroads District includes a large portion of Genesee County, as well as northern Oakland County, including Seymour Lake United Methodist Church. Plum’s wife, Janine Plum, is pastor of SLUMC, and the pair are Brandon Township residents.

As the emergency water crisis coordinator, Plum coordinated donations forthe purchase and delivery of PUR water filtration systems to Flint churches, which are distributing the filters and replacements to Flint residents. They also have water testing kits.

“No one filters 100 percent of the lead, but this filters enough to satisfy DEQ requirements for drinkable water,” said Plum. ‘Some people have skin irritations from the water…It’s an unfortunate situation and UMC is committed to our neighbors and our community and we want to be there to help however we can. This is so big and so beyond what we can do.”

St. Anne Church in Ortonville also accepted donations of bottled water to give to Flint residents.

“This is a critical situation and it will not be a quick fix, it will take a long time to figure out how to resolve this to the best interest of the people in Flint,” said Karyn Milligan, Christian Services Coordinator. “I don’t see how it can be corrected in a short amount of time and they are passing out filters, but how many children have been drinking this water for the past few years and what kind of ramifications will we have in the future?”

New Blackhawks football coach

On Jan. 22 Brandon High School officials announced that Brad Zube would take over as varsity football coach.

Zube replaced head coach Tim Pizzala who announced after the 2015 season that he would step down following nine seasons at the helm of the Blackhawks.

“Brandon is a diamond in the rough,” said Zube after meeting his team. “Brandon has everything here— a strong administration, an outstanding facility and community to build a winning football program. Everyone loves to win, but you have to hate losing football games to play for me. Our team will be a family atmosphere, we will focus on the fundamentals—blocking and tackling with a summer full of camps.”

Zube, a 1996 Romeo High School graduate, was an assistant coach at Notre Dame Prep High School. He then was a defensive coordinator for one year at Pontiac High School, taking over as head coach at Pontiac High School in the 2010-11 seasons. At PHS he compiled a record of 11-8 which included a first round post season loss to Clarkston High School in 2011. In 2012, he took over as head coach at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills. From 2012-2015, Zube had a record of 19-16 and a 2013 playoff first round loss to Rochester Adams.

In six years as head coach, Zube compiled a winning record of 30-26.

Snowstorm freezes family on I-75

A Brandon Township family was stuck on I-75 in Kentucky for more than 14 hours during Winter Storm Jonas on Jan.22-23.

“It was ridiculous, I’m not traveling anymore,” said Jacki Cox, laughing about what she and her family, including husband Aaron, and their children, Gavin, 9, Asher, 7, and Nora, 17 months, endured while on their journey to Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

The weather deteriorated as they made their way south.

“There wasn’t that much snow, I just thought, ‘They need to plow,’” recalled Jacki. “At about 2:25 p.m., we saw a lot of people getting off at an exit and thought, ‘What do they know that we don’t know?? Literally two minutes later, we came to a complete stop and didn’t move again for 14 hours.”

The Cox family was at mile marker 58 on I-75 near Mt. Vernon, Ky., with mountains on either side of an expressway laden with completely stopped semi-trucksand passenger vehicles, roughly 3,000 of them.

“Basically what happened, that section of roadway, there are steep grades and we were hit first with half an inch of ice in that area, followed by 18 inches of snow,” said Amber Hale, information officer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. “At times, it was falling at a rate of 2-3 inches an hour. It was roughly about 10 a.m. Friday when we had the first blockage on 75, and on the grade, semi-trucks were having a hard time with hills. Our road crews actually started as soon as it started falling, they were out there working, but semis were jackknifing trying to navigate the incline, and we had to get a wrecker to them and we’d get one cleared, and then another happened, and it became a chain. The report we had from the Kentucky State Police said there was a back-up of 35 miles at one point, between Friday and Saturday.”

The Cox family would eventually make their way to Disney, taking secondary roads after their 14-hour stop on I-75.

“It was worth it, but I swear, I’m traumatized every time I see brake lights now,” said Jacki. “We’re talking about going back to Disney in a few years. Maybe we’ll fly.”

EMS

After locating an ambulance in Goodrich on Feb. 1, officials at Mobile Medical Response or MMR, reported that the volumes have been sufficient to keep a unit in the village to serve the township 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

Due to low call volume, Goodrich and Atlas Township are not covered by an EMS, rather, they depend on nearby private ambulance services from Grand Blanc, Davison and, until January 2015, Groveland Township in case of emergency. As a result, response times in emergency situations have been a concern for township officials for many years.

Steve Henson, Genesee County operations manager for MMR, said the operation, located at 8389 S. State Road next door to Buddy’s Brick Oven Pizza, is running smoothly in the first month of operations.

“We’ve had feedback from the community and it’s been positive,” said Steve Henson, Genesee County operations manager for MMR. “There’s enough (call) volume to make this work here in the Goodrich and Atlas Township area.”

Crash course

Michael Clancy, Jr. took on the New Smyrna Speedway and NASCAR’s World Series of Asphalt Car Racing on Feb. 11-20, but didn’t make it to the finish. The 13-year-old crashed his race car into a cement embankment at 127 mph.

The Brandon Middle School student and NASCAR driver was not injured.

While entry level at NASCAR short tracks starts at age 14, Clancy, Jr. was the third youngest ever to participate in the New Smyrna race and required special permission to run there. He crashed on the first race of seven he was scheduled to compete in during the series, but took 10th place in the overall standings when the week was completed.

Blackhawks win first district

title in 23 years

The Brandon Blackhawks boys varsity basketball team won their first district title in 23 years when they defeated the Grand Blanc Bobcats by a score of 59-36 on March 11.

The Blackhawks lost in the regional semi-final game to the Rochester Adams Highlanders, but finished with a 15-8 overall record and were 11-3 in the Flint Metro League for the 2015-16 season.

“This team had a mission this season,” said Head Coach Ross Gauthier. “They accomplished all they wanted… These Blackhawks have a lot to be proud of this season. The first wining season in 10 years, first district championship in 23 years and the first Class A District Championship in school history. Not too bad.”

It also wasn’t too bad for Gauthier a short time later when he was named Flint Metro League Coach of the Year.

Village manager steps down

Village Manager John Lyons announced his resignation to the village council at their March 28 meeting.

“I’m just done,” said Lyons. “I’ve been through some medical issues within the last couple months and I realize how fragile life is and I want to spend time with my family.”

The 63-year-old said his medical concerns have been resolved, but said he would leave the position at the end of May.

Lyons was hired as village manager in August 2011 and was instrumental in bringing to the ballot a proposal for a village wastewater treatment system to remedy failing septic systems and possible e.coli contamination of Kearsley Creek. The proposal, which would have put an estimated special assessment of more than $25,000 on each residence in the village, failed overwhelmingly in 2015.

While sewers was the most time-consuming of his projects here and his efforts ultimately didn’t bring the results he desired, Lyons is proud of other accomplishments, including obtaining new equipment for the Department of Public Works, benefits for employees including vacationand sick days as well as the opportunity for healthcare, and improvements to the Old Mill.

Credit union merger

On March 25, a state-appointed conservator from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) announced that Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) would merge with the Clarkston Brandon Community Credit Union (CBCCU). The new MSUFCU members from the CBCCU may continue to transact business at both former locations, 8055 Ortonville Road, Clarkston and 4 South St., Ortonville.

The merger came after the CBCCU’s former chief financial officer, Michael LaJoice confessed to embezzling roughly $20 million from CBCCU during the past 12 years of his employment at the Independence Township branch of the CBCCU.

April Clobes, president and CEO of MSUFCU, could not comment on the pending embezzlement case, however welcomed the members from CBCCU.

“The merger is a good solution,” said April Clobes, president and CEO of MSUFCU.. “If no other credit union had stepped up, the CBCCU would have to be liquidated…We will continue to serve the community and our new members of the credit union.”

Distilled drugs

Brandon Twp

.- An explosion and resulting fire and severe burns to a township man March 9 was caused by his attempt to extract hash oil using butane.

“This is extremely dangerous for the person doing it, the home and the community,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “He obviously knows that now having received traumatic burns in the process to distill. I don’t know the percentage of burns he received, but it was a huge amount— it exploded directly into him.”

Township firefighters, deputies and the HAZMAT team responded to a mobile home in the 3800 block of Red Bud Lane after an explosion and fire that occurred at about 11:09 p.m, March 9. Upon arrival, the trailer was empty, the sole occupant, a 22-year-old man, having departed the scene.

“His mom picked him up and took him to urgent care, but the burns were severe enough they wouldn’t accept him,” said Lt. Brent Miles of the OCSO Narcotics Enforcement Team. “Detectives tracked him down to Hurley Hospital in Flint.”

The man was hospitalized for at least three days with burns to his face, arms and hands.

Miles said approximately two pounds of marijuana was found at the residence, along with eight 10-ounce cans full of butane fuel and 37 empty cans.

“He opened can after can and when he went to light it, there was an accumulation of fumes and it exploded,” said Miles. “We are still waiting on the lab to finish analyzing evidence.”

Hash oil extraction is done through a forced process using butane, said Bouchard. The intent is to distill tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the potent component of the marijuana plant. The result is a concentrated paste or oil that can be put in food or applied medicinally. The suspect in this case did not have a medical marijuana card.

50 years of Ortonville Lions

The Ortonville Lions Club, chartered June 30, 1966, commemorated for 50 years with a dinner April 23 at the Flint Elks Club.

Brandon Township resident Arnold Seelbinder, 89, is the only remaining charter member. Named second vice-president at the 1966 Charter Night, Seelbinder said it was service to the community that kept the club so successful for a half-century.

“We’d work hard at the White Cane sales along with other fundraisers—this community really responds to us,” he said. “Sometimes we’d meet in the homes of members, but most of the time it would be at the Old Town Hall in Ortonville. We have really good people that care and have fun all at the same time. Years ago they’d bring leader dogs to our meetings to demonstrate some of the work the trainers were doing. It’s amazing to watch the dogs work.”

Seelbinder said that Lions would often visit the Leader Dogs for the Blind facility in Rochester. Founded by three Detroit-area Lions Club members in 1939, the Leader Dogs for the Blind facility crafts programs for the visually impaired or Deaf-Blind with skills for independent travel, opening doors that may seem to have closed with the loss of sight.

In 1987 the constitution of Lions Club International was amended to allow for women to become members.

Ortonville Lions community activities include providing local eye exams and glasses for the needy; supporting the local senior center; donations to the Ortonville Community Emergency Fund; providing vision screening for young children; supporting Leader Dogs for the blind; and much more.

Horse rescued from pond

The community joined forces to rescue a horse April 7 from a township pond.

“Horses can get themselves in sticky predicaments, they don’t always do what is smartest, but I’ve never seen anything so dramatic,” said Dr. Crystal DeWitt, a vet at Don Ryker DVM and Associates for the past five years.

DeWitt was among the many people who came to the horse’s rescue at the Ervin family home in the 6200 block of Oak Hill Road, including Oakland County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Brandon firefighters, Michigan State Police and a tow truck driver.

The horse had slipped down a steep embankment and became stuck in mud, unable to escape frigid water up to her head.

Rescuers’ efforts were thwarted by a combination of problems— not only the deteriorating condition of the horse, but also the steepness of the embankment and obstacles including stumps and other entanglements.

Lacey was in the water for nearly an hour when Alex Hackman, a Byers tow truck driver, arrived, called to the scene by police.

A strap was maneuvered around the horse, then attached to the tow cable. With guidance from the veterinarian since he couldn’t see the horse, Hackman used his truck to pull the 1,100-pound horse from the water and up to higher ground.

“To me, it seemed like a minute, maybe a minute and a half, I was just focused on getting her out,” said Hackman, who owns two horses himself and has been a tow truck driver for 16 years. “I was excited to help, but hopefully this is once in a lifetime.”

The Ervin family was very thankful to all who helped save Lacey.

“It was crazy they got her out,” said Nathan. “I am insanely grateful… She’s back to normal.”

Bonfire results in house fire

Brandon Twp

.-A smoldering bonfire near Corey Lane resulted in an April 19 blaze that partially destroyed a home and burned several acres of woodland..

Township firefighters and Oakland County Sheriff deputies responded to the 200 block of Corey Lane at 4:26 p.m. following a neighbor’s 9-1-1 call.

Deputy Rich Hubble, a 14-year veteran from the township substation, was one of the first on scene.

“The house was engulfed in flames over the garage,” said Hubble. “We could hear a dog whining from inside the burning house. The neighbor said everyone was out of the house, but the dog was still in there. I just had to get the dog, he was really scared.”

Tom Kangas, Oakland County fire investigator, was at the home following the fire.

“It appears there was a bonfire on Sunday nearby that was not out completely,” said Kangas. “The wind came up and rekindled the fire, which caught dry leaves on fire that were nearby. That spread to the home and to the wooded area behind the homes. The trees and logs did not burn, rather, the dry brush and other dry material on the ground.”

Kangas recommends dousing outside fires with plenty of water and make sure they are cold to the touch.

DDA director steps down

Molly LaLone resigned in May after more than eight years as village DDA executive director and Main Street manager to take the same roles in Lake Orion.

In her formal resignation letter, LaLone thanked Ortonville for the past eight-and-a-half years she has served as DDA executive director here and the chance to “learn on the job.”

The Downtown Development Authority’s objective is to promote economic growth and development. Comprised of a board of directors, the executive director and volunteers, the DDA’s mission is to help current and potential business owners within the DDA zone.

One of LaLone’s biggest projects while in Ortonville was the attempt to bring sewers to the village, which failed in an overwhelming vote in November 2015.

She was proud of success in other areas.

“So many little things happened, but if I took a snapshot from when I first got here to now, the changes are subtle, but there is a difference,” said LaLone. “The sidewalks are safe, Crossman Park is more usable, both the Old Town Hall and the Old Mill have been beautifully maintained. DDA was part of the changes that happened and I am grateful to be part of all the changes that went on. I will miss everybody here.”

Student stuck in chair sparks federal lawsuit

Goodrich

-On May 27 a lawsuit was filed by the parents of a special needs student against the Goodrich Schools, the Goodrich Board of Education, a former principal and a current school employee. Federal Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Judge Stephen Murphy III will hear the case.

The lawsuit arose from an incident that occurred in November 2013 when Oaktree Elementary teacher Nicole McVey recorded a 53-second long cell phone video of a then 10-year old student with Asperger’s Syndrome stuck in a desk chair.

As a result of the incident, McVey was removed from the classroom. During the December 2013 school board meeting, the board voted 5-1 to dismiss McVey and in closed session OK’d tenure charges. At the same December meeting, then Oaktree Principal Michael Ellis, who was aware of the video, resigned.

On May 8, 2014 during a special school board meeting, the board voted 6-0 to accept an agreement between McVey and the district. Terms of the settlement include a one-year suspension without pay or benefits, along with remedial training for McVey focusing on classroom relationships and handling of student information as well as a written apology. McVey was reinstated for the 2015-2016 school year without loss of seniority.

A total of eight counts are part of the lawsuit, which includes violation of the student’s right to a public education without discrimination; disability- based discrimination; violation of the Rehab Act; violation of the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act; intentional infliction of emotional distress; violation of Michigan Anti-Bullying Law and violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and negligent hiring, supervision.

A motion was also filed by the plaintiffs for a protective order and to use pseudonyms in the case due to the age of the student and a reasonable fear of harassment.

According to the lawsuit, the defendant recorded the video, she stated aloud and in the presence of all that she would be submitting it to a nationally and broadcast television show, “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

The lawsuit will be the second regarding the classroom incident.

On June 2, 2014 Patrick Greenfelder, an attorney for the student’s family, said the board’s settlement action with McVey was not good enough and submitted a lawsuit to Genesee County 7th Circuit Court. The lawsuit named as defendants McVey, then-Principal Michael Ellis, the school district and a paraprofessional assigned to assist the child. It sought more than $25,000 in damages.

However, in September 2014 the school district announced the pending litigation was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice to all of the defendants.

In a 2014 statement to The Citizen, Goodrich Superintendent Michelle Imbrunone confirmed the news. There was no payment by the district, and the parents had reserved the right to refile.

Iron Belle Trail routes proposed, costs debated

Brandon Twp.

– At the township board’s June 6 meeting, the proposed route and projected costs for the portion of the Iron Belle Trail suggested to run through Brandon were presented, but whether the trail has hit a dead end remains to be seen.

A survey seeking opinions from area residents showed 86 percent of the 558 respondents were in favor of trails, and 40 percent preferred the proposed “Route C” for the Iron Belle Trail.

Route C, like all proposed routes, would connect to a trail in Oxford. It includes a small portion of Baldwin Road, a large portion of the ITC corridor, and continues to the corner of Kent Road and Granger Road in the village.

The route is the safest of the four, with the largest portion off road and away from traffic, and also the cheapest, although the favored 7.7 mile route has an estimated price tag of $4,968,900, or $647,877 per mile. Grants have been suggested as funding options for the trail, a pet project of Gov. Rick Snyder.

The Iron Belle Trail has two routes, one for bicycling and one for hiking, both of which have start/end points at Belle Isle in Detroit and Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula. The bicycling trail, which will be 774 miles from beginning to end, is slated to go through communities including Brandon, Groveland, and Atlas townships, as well as the Village of Ortonville. The hiking trail takes a route to the west and is 1,259 miles. The project hopes to establish new trails in communities that will connect to existing trails.

No further action has been taken by the board on the trail since residents living along the proposed route raised objections.

Blaze destroys township home

Brandon Twp.

-At 4:24 p.m., June 24, Brandon firefighters responded to a house fire in the 5000 block of Sunkist Dr. on the township’s east side.

A 30-year-old man who was in the home when the blaze began said he was watching television when his dog started acting weird. He said he then smelled smoke, went outside to investigate and saw flames at the southwest corner of the home. He reentered the home to get his dog out and then called 9-1-1.

When firefighters arrived the home was fully engulfed in flames. DTE Energy also responded to the blaze after heat from the fire severed powerlines south of the home, igniting the grass.

Baldwin Road between Hummer Lake Road and Granger Road was closed for several hours to allow tanker trucks to unload water into a portable tank. The fire required about 600 feet of hose to reach the home.

Brandon was assisted by fire departments from Atlas, Groveland, Hadley, Independence, Oxford, and Orion townships. There were no injuries reported.

Editors note:Check out the Jan. 7, 2017 edition of The Citizen for July-December 2016 year in review.