A 23-year-old Detroit man was ordered to serve 4-½ to 20 years in prison for his role in a stolen-vehicle ring in the region.
Jordan T. Gray received the sentence Wednesday from Macomb County Circuit Judge Anthony Servitto in Mount Clemens after admitting to participating in a criminal enterprise, aka racketeering, from April 2024 to April 2025 in Warren, according to court records.
The sentence was six months under the cap to which Servitto agreed in a deal reached with Gray through his attorney, Randy Rodnick.
Macomb prosecutors indicated they also will seek restitution from Gray, records say.
Gray was one of 11 people arrested as part of the ring that was responsible for the theft of over 400 vehicles worth approximately $8 million in Southeast Michigan by targeting storage lots, car dealerships, parking lots and residences, law enforcement officials said.
The ring was investigated by Troy Police Department Special Investigations Unit, in partnership with Macomb County Auto Theft Squad and the state Focused Organized Retail Crime Enforcement team. In addition, local police departments in individual communities pitched in, officials said.
Investigators said they utilized social media evidence, phone tracking and mapping, and surveillance of Gray to establish his involvement.
A search warrant executed at Gray’s residence produced evidence tying him to the operation, including numerous key fobs, a “significant amount” of cash, and a stolen Glock switch, officials said.
The cases of Gray’s 10 co-defendants have been prosecuted in courts in other counties.
Trial is scheduled in Oakland County Circuit Court for a former Wayne County official and her husband accused of pulling guns on a customer following a physical fight at a Farmington Hills gas station.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Feb. 23, 2026 for the cases against Alicia Bradford and her husband, Larry Bradford of Farmington Hills. Both face charges of assault with a dangerous weapon/felonious assault and using a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with a New Year’s Day 2025 incident.
Alicia Bradford (Wayne County)
According to police reports and security video obtained under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act, the charges stem from an incident that happened just before 1 a.m. on Jan. 1 at a gas station on Orchard Lake Road.
A fight broke out between Larry Bradford and another customer who got involved after Bradford began arguing with the gas station clerk, accusing him of charging tax on a bottle of Mountain Dew, police said. Larry Bradford left the store and returned with a 9mm handgun and pointed it at the customer, demanding he get on his knees and apologize, and struck him. Alicia Bradford then entered the store armed with a firearm and pointed it at the customer, according to police.
In this still frame from surveillance video, Wayne County parks director Alicia Bradford points a handgun at an unidentified customer (far right, face digitally obstructed) after the man and Bradford's husband, Larry Bradford, got into a verbal and physical confrontation on Jan.1 over the price of a bottle of pop. (Farmington Hills Police Dept. via FOIA)
At the time of her arrest, Alicia Bradford was Wayne County’s parks and recreation director. She was suspended without pay after the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against her, and then resigned from her job in February.
Alicia Bradford and Larry Bradford are out of custody on $50,000 personal bonds, which require no cash or surety to be posted.
Assault with a dangerous weapon/felonious assault carries a penalty of up to four years in prison. Using a firearm in the commission of a felony is punishable by up to two years in prison.
A 69-year-old White Lake Township man was killed late Wednesday on Highland Road after being struck by a car driven by an 81-year-old man from Holly, officials said.
According to the White Lake Police Department, preliminary results of an ongoing investigation indicate the man was attempting to cross Highland Road near Legrand Boulevard when he was struck by the vehicle headed east on Highland Road. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the incident, police said.
Officers called to the scene at around 11:18 p.m. found the victim unresponsive and lying in the roadway, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police haven’t yet released the victim’s name.
Anyone with further information related to the crash is asked to contact White Lake Police Sgt. Brad Connell by phone at 248-698-4400 or by email at bconnelll@whitelakepolice.com.
This is the fourth fatality reported on Oakland County roadways in the past two days. On Wednesday morning, a Detroiter was killed after crashing his car in Bloomfield Township. Police suspect a medical emergency prior to or during the crash. And on Tuesday morning, a fiery crash on I-96 in Novi claimed the lives of two drivers — one from Westland and the other from California.
An Oakland County man is accused of using artificial intelligence to create pornographic images of a woman he was following on social media, then threatening to release them and assault her if she didn’t give him attention, a federal complaint claims.
Joshua Stilman, 36, of Commerce Township is accused by the FBI of interstate extortion and cyberstalking, according to a complaint filed last week in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan.
The victim is not named in the complaint but is described as a “social media influencer with close to 100,000 Instagram followers.”
In March, she allegedly received several explicit messages on Instagram from someone using the screenname FriendBlender, including AI-generated nude images of herself, according to court documents.
She initially tried to diffuse the situation with humor but FriendBlender eventually became more vulgar and threatened to release the images publicly if she did not respond to him, the lawsuit said. He also made threats against her safety, implying he would sexually assault her unless she responded.
“I wish you’d respond to some of my questions,” he said in one message, the FBI alleged. “I really don’t want to resort to posting things online … I’m not going to expect you to talk to me everyday or even that often. But I want to know some naughty things about you.”
In one message, FriendBlender sent his victim a link to a Google Drive collection of more AI-generated nude photos of her. However, according to the complaint, the link also displayed the name “Josh Stilman” in association with the Google account. The woman found that someone named Josh Stilman was following her Instagram account and had previously messaged her using an account with the screenname ThisDIYGuy.
According to court documents, the alleged victim then sent Stilman a message, asking, “Does your wife know you are messaging me.” He then allegedly blocked her from both of his Instagram accounts and deleted the Google-based photo album, as well as his LinkedIn page.
The influencer also contacted other women who have said Stilman threatened them, some as early as 2019, according to the complaint. One alleged victim said Stilman had posted pornographic videos of her online without her consent.
After she contacted law enforcement, investigators were able to allegedly link Stilman to the FriendBlender and ThisDIYGuy Instagram accounts and found that on several occasions he had visited websites that are used to create AI-generated pornography, the complaint said.
Since the incident, the influencer has removed identifying details about her life from her social media accounts and has started carrying a weapon due to fears about her safety, according to authorities.
According to online court records, Stilman made an initial appearance Tuesday before Magistrate Judge Anthony P. Patti and he was released after posting a $10,000 bond. A preliminary examination is scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 14.
Stilman’s attorney, Bradley J. Friendman, didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Video surveillance caught the liquid larceny: A man pulled a box truck behind a Minnesota strip mall in the wee hours in late October, got out, grabbed a hose and jammed it into a bin of used cooking oil outside Great Moon Buffet.
He siphoned nearly $800 worth of grease from the restaurant, pumping it into a storage container in the back of the truck and slipping away into the darkness, according to felony charges against the alleged culprit, who’s also accused of hitting up two other restaurants.
“I had never heard of anything like this before,” said Derek Fritze, a 10-year Maplewood police detective who investigated the case. “Apparently, it’s a big thing.”
But it’s not new, just more widespread as used cooking oil has become liquid gold over the past decade because it’s recycled for the production of biofuel, said Kent Swisher, president and CEO of the North American Renderers Association. He said thieves are stealing up to $80 million worth of the grease every year, up from $42 million in 2013.
“So, yeah, it’s across the country,” he said of the thievery. “And as prices have gotten stronger over time, you’d think the renderers would be happy. But it actually created more problems, because it created more people trying to steal it.”
Renderers and smaller businesses collect the oil from restaurants, who are compensated depending on the volume. It’s then processed and sold to refineries. Besides biofuel, it’s used as a nutritional additive in animal feed.
The global used cooking oil market is expanding rapidly. It was valued at $7 billion in 2023 and is expected to top $14 billion by 2033, according to market analysts.
A manager at Great Moon Buffet noticed the restaurant had only been getting about $15 a month — instead of the usual $600 to $700 — because the amount of used cooking oil in the barrel out back was low when picked up by Sanimax, a rendering company with a plant in South St. Paul.
So he put up surveillance cameras, which caught the illicit act going down just before 4 a.m. Oct. 23. Cameras got an image of the man’s face, and the back license plate of his white box truck. The manager reported the theft to police on Oct. 28.
Less than two weeks later, around 4:20 a.m. Nov. 7, police saw the truck parked outside a restaurant on Beam Avenue, the criminal complaint says. The driver denied stealing used oil from any restaurant. He said the truck belonged to his friends, and that he stopped in the parking lot because his truck was not working.
Police say they later matched the driver’s face to the man in the Great Moon Buffet surveillance video.
Sanimax gave police a list of other restaurants where surveillance cameras allegedly caught the same man stealing grease: New Hong Kong Wok in New Brighton about 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2024, and Peking Garden Restaurant in St. Paul around 4 a.m. eight days later.
Sanimax put the value of the oil stolen from the three restaurants at just over $3,600.
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged the Minneapolis man with three counts of theft, two at the felony level. His attorney did not respond to the Pioneer Press’ requests for comment on the allegations.
Prevention tactics
Sanimax driver Jimmy Lee keeps an eye on a container full of grease as it is lifted and emptied into a recycling truck during a pickup in South St. Paul. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
On a recent weekday morning, a Sanimax driver pulled up to Concord Lanes and sucked out used cooking oil from a large bin on the side of the bowling alley. It’ll end up just down the road at the company’s South St. Paul plant, a remnant of the city’s stockyards and meatpacking days.
Mike Karman, Sanimax vice president of procurement, said used cooking oil theft has been a problem for at least a decade — mostly in larger metropolitan areas — and it’s been more prevalent in the Twin Cities over the past two summers compared to neighboring states.
“We see multiple different trucks, so we know it’s more than one actor,” he said of the local spate of thefts. “So I can say that there’s more than one truck running around doing it.”
To try to prevent the thievery, Sanimax puts its bins inside restaurants when there’s room or puts locks on them. “But the problem is,” Karman said, “most of these thieves, even if there is a lock on where you dump in the oil, they’ll just lift and bend up a corner of the lid and stick in a pipe to suck it out.”
Expensive anti-theft lids are also an option, although thieves are known to drill through the bin to get at the oil, he said.
Samimax also does its own surveillance, he said, without getting into the details.
Sanimax told police that man who took the Great Moon Buffet grease could be employed or contracted by rival recycling business Greasehauler. Sanimax did its own investigation and found the man’s truck parked at Greasehauler’s plant in Plato, Minn., several times.
Karman said he couldn’t get into all that, but added: “We take our business seriously, so when we see that there is theft, we utilize all of our resources.”
Greasehauler owner Lev Mirman, when contacted by the Pioneer Press, said he had never heard of the man charged in the Great Moon Buffet theft. He said he gets used cooking oil from several sources and that it’s possible someone gave him a fake name.
Karman said Sanimax does not buy grease from non-vetted suppliers, but there is no regulation stopping other processors from doing so.
Syndicates charged federally
Swisher, from the Virginia-based renderers association, said they started a task force in 2013 to try to get law enforcement to put more focus on the thefts “because at the time, everybody kind of giggled about stolen used cooking oil.”
That’s no longer the case, he said.
“It’s become such a big thing over the years that it’s even gotten the FBI’s attention. And some of the syndicates are quite large,” he said. “When you Google it, it’s kind of amazing how many stories pop up these days.”
The alleged capers range from a lone man with a single truck to an organized ring running a whole fleet.
A federal grand jury in North Carolina indicted 21 co-conspirators — including 12 from Mexico and one from Turkey — on several charges in 2019 for allegedly stealing nearly $4 million worth of used cooking oil over five years. The ring operated across North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, storing the stolen grease in a warehouse, the indictment says.
In December, a federal grand jury in western New York announced the indictment of six New York men for allegedly stealing at least 90,000 pounds of used grease from restaurants in and around Rochester. They sold the oil to a broker, who sold it to a refinery in Erie, Pennsylvania, the indictment says.
Swisher said his association disbanded their task force after renderers started taking theft precautions. Many now have cameras, hire private investigators and offer cash rewards to try to catch the thieves. He knows of at least one renderer that puts electronic anti-theft devices on its bins that sense when the oil is being stolen and alerts police or private investigators.
An apology, cash offer
Peking Garden co-owner Teresa Nguyen said she didn’t know someone stole their grease last year. But that wasn’t the case five years ago at their former University Avenue location, when she caught a guy siphoning oil from a bin they shared with a neighboring restaurant, Golden Gate Cafe.
She thought at first he was a Sanimax driver collecting the grease. But then he “looked afraid” and apologized, she said, and offered her $100 cash on the spot to not call the police.
She refused, told him it wasn’t just her oil. She asked him to go to Golden Gate and explain what he had done because both restaurants had been noticing the Sanimax compensation checks were smaller than usual.
The man left in his box truck, but didn’t go to Golden Gate. The theft went unreported to police.
“Honestly, we have a lot of customers in the cities that we know get stolen from, but we can’t quite quantify it because a lot of times they don’t take all of it,” said Karman, of Sanimax. “But then the customer goes, ‘Oh, my checks are half the size they used to be. I wonder why.’ And then they just go on to doing something else and don’t report it.”
Sanimax driver Jimmy Lee uses a hose to empty grease from a container into a recycling truck during one of his stops in South St. Paul on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. Cooking oil recyclers, like South St. Paul-based Sanimax, have reported people stealing grease from their collection containers. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
A new magistrate has been appointed to the bench at 51st District Court in Waterford Township.
At its Sept. 22 meeting, the Waterford Township Board of Trustees approved the appointment of attorney Roberto Bihar to the role of magistrate. He assumes duties at the court on Oct. 15.
Roberto Behar (photo provided)
According to officials, Roberto was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to the San Fernando Valley in California in 1982, then relocated to Michigan in 1996.
Bihar and his wife have lived in Waterford since 2000, raising their five children. The family is actively involved in Waterford’s soccer community, officials said.
Bihar began his legal career in 2009 as law clerk for 52-2 District Judge Joseph Fabrizio. He continues to serve as a public defender for its sobriety court program. In 2014, he opened his law practice, specializing in criminal and probate law.
Bihar graduated cum laude from Cooley Law School in 2012. He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Madonna University, majoring in Spanish and criminal justice, officials said.
Bihar holds membership in the Oakland County Bar Associations and the Knights of Columbus Council, and is a parishioner at St. Perpetua Catholic Church in Waterford, officials said.
Two people died following a fiery crash early Tuesday morning on I-96 in Novi, officials said.
The Novi Police Department identified the victims as Sylvette Campbell, 57, of Westland and Neena Wang, 30, of California.
According to Novi Police Commander Kristie Gruenwald, a preliminary investigation indicates Wang was in an Acura sedan stopped in the left lane of eastbound I-96 near the Beck Road exit due to a malfunction with the driver-side front tire when Campbell, driving a Kia Soul eastbound on I-96 rear-ended the Acura. Both vehicles caught fire and both drivers were killed. Neither car had passengers.
When police and firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after 2 a.m., both vehicles were fully-engulfed in flames, Gruenwald said.
Traffic was rerouted and the stretch of freeway was shut down for several hours after the crash, but by 9:30 a.m. the freeway was reopened and traffic appeared to be flowing as usual.
The Novi Police Department is leading the crash investigation with assistance from Michigan State Police and will provide further information as the investigation progresses, Gruenwald said. Autopsy and toxicology reports on the victims are pending.
Gruenwald said her department extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of both drivers.
I-96 approaching Beck Road in Novi
file photo (Stephen Frye/MediaNews Group)
Troy police officers and firefighters will face off in the “Battle of the Badges” softball game fundraiser this Friday, Sept. 26.
Held at Donald J. Flynn Park, 1808 E. South Boulevard, the game’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The primary purpose of the “good-natured competition” is to raise funds for the Troy Police Department’s Honor Guard, officials said. The honor guard participates in remembrance ceremonies for law enforcement personnel who die in the line of duty, as well as other events that “require dignified display and presentation” of the United States flag, officials said.
Tickets are $10, and children 12 years old and younger will be admitted for free. The event will also feature a food truck and GIlly’s Ice Cream for purchase.
“Get ready for a showdown in this charity matchup. We’re excited to spend the evening playing instead of working with our friends at the fire department,” said Sgt. John Julian of the Troy Police Department. “It will also be a fun time to show that public safety can have a lighter side, too.”
Added Troy Fire Department Lt. Keith Young: “We may be rivals on the field for one night, but at the end of the day we’re all on the same team serving Troy. Win or lose, it’s about community, camaraderie and a little bragging rights.”
The case against a Springfield Township man accused of shaking his infant and nearly killing him has advanced to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial.
At the conclusion of a recent preliminary exam in 52-2 District Court, Judge Kelly Kostin ruled there was probable cause to bind over the case against 32-year-old Daniel Charles Gracer, scheduled to be arraigned in the higher court on Sept. 25 by Judge Mary Ellen Brennan.
Oakland County Sheriff's Office
Daniel Gracer
Gracer is charged with one count of first-degree child abuse in connection with the near-fatal injuries his then-2-month-old son suffered last December.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, on Dec. 23, 2024 deputies were called to a home in the 7000 block of Meadow Lane in Springfield Township on a report of an unresponsive baby. Gracer was caring for the boy at the time, the sheriff’s office said.
The baby suffered serious head and brain trauma, and a child abuse specialist who examined the baby determined the injuries were non-accidental, the sheriff’s office said. The brain injury, according to the specialist, was due to rapid acceleration and rapid deceleration, consistent with being shaken, the sheriff’s office said. The trauma was “nearly fatal,” the sheriff’s office said, and the baby is likely to have severely delayed development.
Hospital staff reportedly relayed the findings to the sheriff’s office which launched an investigation.
Gracer was released from jail in February after Kostin changed his $1 million bond to a personal bond – requiring no cash or surety to be posted.
First-degree child abuse is punishable by up to life in prison.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office failed to establish a timely incident command and was late to dispatch fire crews in response to the Oxford High School shooting, according to an independent investigative report released Monday.
The office did not establish a formal incident command at Oxford High School until 25 minutes after a teenage gunman who went on a murderous rampage was in custody, according to an after-action review of the emergency response to the 2021 school shooting.
The 275-page report found no evidence of neglect or dereliction of duty by individual responders, but noted that failing to quickly establish an initial command and promptly integrate with other public safety agencies can lead to severe consequences.
“Successful incident command operations in the first five minutes of a critical event often determine response success. These operations include not only ‘sizing up’ a scene, but also a brief description of initial actions, and instructions for additional responding personnel,” investigators wrote in the report’s executive summary.
Nearly 560 emergency personnel responded to the scene from more than two dozen agencies. But poor communication and inadequate training hamstrung some EMS, police and fire workers, investigators found.
Survivor accounts from the attack revealed a chaotic scene in which nearly 1,600 students and dozens of staff were fleeing the sprawling school building while emergency responders tended to the wounded and dead and police searched for the student gunman.
Although multiple ranking OSCO officers were present, the report says there was a 25-minute gap before a lieutenant assumed the role of incident commander.
“During this 25-minute period, although critical objectives were met and the shooter was apprehended, there was some confusion about where resources should be directed and coordination with public safety officials such as fire/EMS was disjointed,” the report says. “Once command was established, law enforcement agencies were aligned with the roles needed to complete the building clears, secure the interior of the building, and create a perimeter around the outside of the building.”
Release of the Guidepost Solutions report follows a Detroit News investigation that revealed complaints from fire department officials that their crews were dispatched late to the attack. The News also reported that the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office declined to participate in a third-party review of its department’s response as recently as January 2024, a claim that Sheriff Michael Bouchard has denied.
Oakland County government officials approved $500,000 to hire a review firm three weeks after The News’ report. Guidepost was tasked with conducting a comprehensive report evaluating the multi-agency response to the shooting and the recovery effort that followed.
The shooter, Ethan Crumbley, a sophomore at the school at the time, fired his weapon 33 times in the attack and killed Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; and Justin Shilling, 17.
The report determined that, despite the misteps in response, the victims’ injuries were “inherently fatal” and that a quicker emergency response could not have saved their lives. The conclusion was based on information from a medical examiner’s report and analysis by an independent medical expert.
“Our review determined that the nature and extent of Madisyn, Tate, and Justin’s single gunshot wounds to the head were inherently fatal,” the report says. “Hana sustained multiple gunshot wounds, with resulting abdomen and chest injuries, which were collectively inherently fatal. Even with immediate medical intervention, the experts’ consensus is that the outcomes would not have changed.”
Despite the shooter being apprehended just two minutes after the sheriff’s department arrived on scene, and OCSO ranking personnel arriving on scene within the first seven to nine minutes after the shooting began, incident command was not formally established until Lt. Todd Hill arrived at 1:20 p.m. and initiated command at 1:25 p.m., the report found.
“This constitutes a time gap of approximately 27 minutes after the SRO (school resource officer) and OCSO Deputy 1 arrived on scene, approximately 25 minutes after the shooter was in custody, and approximately 24 minutes after OCSO dispatch confirmed the suspect’s arrest,” the report says. “Lieutenant Hill ultimately established incident command inside the lobby of OHS by a bench across from the administration offices.”
Guidepost found breakdowns in communication regarding the locations of officers and victims early in the response. The first two officers to enter the schools, “while understandably focused on the apprehension of the shooter,” did not provide updates on their movements, victim locations or their conditions via radio, the report says.
“Best practices suggest that, as the first responders on the scene, they are the ‘de facto’ command and should not only announce their entry point but also provide information about what they saw as they came upon the victims in the hallway. Also, due to a lack of effective communication, some efforts were duplicated. Injuries were reported multiple times and OHS surveillance depicted numerous deputies clearing the same hallways.”
A lack of training, for both law enforcement and firefighters, was identified in the report as a challenge.
At the time of the shooting, sheriff’s deputies and supervisors were not sufficiently trained in incident command and unified incident command, Guidepost found. Since that time, the sheriff’s office has instituted programs on those concepts, the report says.
“During this review numerous fire department members indicated that, when on scene at OHS, they did not feel that they were adequately prepared to deal with the chaos and pressures of an active assailant situation,” the report says.
“Departmental training was limited to mass casualty scenarios within EMS continuing education programs. There was insufficient or even non-existent training on the use of ballistic protective gear at the fire department, which was frequently stored away and never utilized by personnel,” the report says. “For many OFD members, the day of the shooting was the first time they donned ballistic vests and helmets.”
Guidepost recommended that fire department chiefs mandate bi-annual active assailant training with the sheriff’s department.
Oakland County Executive David Coulter said he was briefed Monday morning by Guidepost officials and had not yet read the entire report.
“I appreciate the report. It is comprehensive. I think it’s fair,” Coulter said. “We engaged with Guidepost because we’re committed to taking an honest look at how we respond to these kinds of emergency, tragic events, and to see where there could be lessons that we can learn from them, and it certainly appears that there are areas that could be strengthened.”
Coulter said there was a very successful and courageous response by first responders and a lot of things done right.
“And I continue to be proud of the people who responded on that horrible day,” he said.
Dispatch delay found
In its report, Guidepost identified a delay in dispatching the Oxford Fire Department in response to early 9-1-1 calls that came in at 12:52:32 with a definitive report of injury.
At 2:19 minutes into the call, at 12:54:51, the caller confirmed a victim was shot, the report says. At 12:52:59, information regarding shots fired was dispatched to all OCSO units. Oxford Fire Department was not dispatched until 12:59:56, Guidepost says.
“Best practices suggest dispatch should be within 15-30 seconds of receipt of a call, and within no more than 60 seconds. The call data reviewed indicates that the call takers recognized this incident as a confirmed active shooter event well before the decision to dispatch the fire department,” the report says.
“OCSO follows the practice of waiting to dispatch fire departments until confirmation of an injured party is established. Although OCSO asserts that this is based upon directions from fire departments, we suggest that in low occurrence-high threat events such as active shooter incidents, especially those at schools, it is logical that all necessary resources be dispatched even before confirmation of injuries.”
The Guidepost report critiqued the response and offered recommendations to improve emergency preparedness and response to incidents, including a recommendation to Oakland County to ensure that a formal after-actio review is conducted for all multi-agency critical events in the county.
In interviews with The Detroit News in 2024, Oxford Fire Chief Matthew Majestic and Addison Fire Chief Jerry Morawski said they self-dispatched their crews when the high school came under attack.
While both chiefs said the dispatch delay did not impact their treatment of victims as fire and EMS crews staged outside the school until police worked to secure the scene, Majestic told The News then that the delay cost his department valuable time to develop a plan ahead of treating victims, four of whom died. It’s an aspect of the tragedy he has struggled with for years.
“Had they toned us out, we could have been staging and ready and organized,” Majestic told The News in 2024. “I know we would have reviewed the maps, probably made changes to who is responding and where. … We would have had more people on the scene. … We could have made a better-educated triage. … You took away that opportunity of building a plan.”
The role of school resource officers
Guidepost, a New York-based investigations, regulatory compliance, monitoring and security consulting firm, found there was no protocol during the shooting for detailing responsibilities of the school resource officer in relation to non-police school security. School resource officers (SROs) are armed, certified police officers.
The issue stands out because the SRO at Oxford High School was not required to remain on campus and was not present at the time the shooting began, having left earlier for an investigation at Oxford Middle School and a stop at the substation. On the same day, the school security officer was absent on pre-approved leave.
“Consequently, a part-time armed hall monitor was the sole armed individual at OHS. Going forward, expectations must be clearly delineated regarding SROs and school security,” the report says. “There should be protocols in place between the district/school and OCSO about alternative security measures when school security is unavailable.”
Investigators did identify “certain breakdowns in command, coordination, communication, and training, which demonstrate the need for improved rapid response protocols, rescue task force (RTF) training, and enhanced tactical medical readiness.”
Fire and emergency response
In the area of fire and emergency services responses, the report says both command and communications were “hindered” during the incident when fire command at the scene moved all fire communications to a different radio channel.
“This was intended to facilitate information-sharing among all responders. However, fire personnel within OHS were unaware that the radio channel was changed and repeatedly called command on the wrong channel, receiving no response,” the report says. “Dispatch did not intervene to redirect units to the correct channel or have command switch channels.”
Guidepost recommended that dispatch be alert for misrouted communications and proactively redirect personnel to the correct channel, and that fire departments review and revise policies and practices of switching radio channels during critical incidents. The report added: “When a switch occurs, it should be announced by dispatch with a ‘tone out’ to alert all on the channel.”
The report also found that in the absence of clear dispatch protocols, fire and EMS personnel were not informed when the shooter was in custody, delaying their entry into OHS by approximately four and a half minutes.
“The computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system did not utilize specific call types for active assailant incidents, and there was no county-wide operating procedure to guide a coordinated response. We recommend that pre-determined CAD call categories be implemented for active assailant events, not only to streamline dispatch practices but also to ensure that fire and EMS are made aware of developments as they occur,” the report says.
Records from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office show Oxford EMS staging outside the high school at 1:00:53 p.m. and transporting the first victim out of the high school at 1:06:32 p.m., 15 minutes after the shooting began.
Guidepost investigators recommended fire departments reconsider their staging practices to provide “greater clarity and coordination” and move to a unified county-wide policy. At the time of the shooting, the policy of fire and EMS departments from both Oakland and Oxford was to “stage” their response by waiting nearby until the scene is declared safe, the report says.
“This creates confusion for both personnel within the department as well as law enforcement, who remain unsure when firefighters and EMS members will enter a scene to render aid,” the report says. “We recommend that Oxford Fire Department (OFD) as well as other departments across Oakland County reconsider staging practices. This requires agencies to evaluate best practice recommendations to forgo staging during active assailant events and clarify whether dispatch instructions to stage are mandatory or advisory.”
Outdated dispatch system
Guidepost described the sheriff’s department’s Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system as outdated, saying it heavily relies upon manual entry by dispatchers for the transfer of information. It recommends CAD systems be updated to transition from manual to automated entry and that CAD should flag high-risk keywords such as “shot,” “injured,” “weapon,” “gun,” and “active shooter” to trigger response protocols.
The day of the attack, 911 calls were rerouted from Oxford County to Lapeer County. A total of 248 emergency calls would flood sheriff’s dispatch in the first 60 minutes after the attack.
“For example, one call from OHS administration, which proved to be the most valuable for tracing the direction of the suspect, was rerouted to Lapeer. Active shooter incidents can often tax phone systems, as they were not designed for the volume that often occurs after a tragedy. We recommend that public safety organizations establish county-wide policies for handling misrouted 9-1-1 calls and build relationships with local phone service providers to understand how large-scale incidents affect call coverage and routing,” the report said.
Reunification practices
The emergency operations plan for Oxford Community Schools had identified Meijer, a half mile from the school, as the reunification location. Hundreds of students fled there. The report says many Oxford High Schooll families reported a positive experience with the reunification process, the approach fell short in providing sufficient communication and emotional support to the families of the victims.
“The families of Madisyn, Tate, and Hana came to the reunification center with the expectation of reuniting with their children. However, after two hours and no more students arriving from the school, the parents were ushered into a store breakroom where they were informed that their children were killed,” the report says.
Guidepost investigators wrote that in discussions with Madisyn’s mother, Nicole Beausoleil, Buck Myre, and Steven St. Juliana, the families did not approve of the manner or means by which the information was relayed.
“While they understood that there was no perfect way to convey this information, Nicole Beausoleil felt that the words were emotionally disconnected and significantly contributed to the continued trauma suffered. All agreed that OCSO’s delayed disclosure of their children’s passing, repetition of additional buses coming, and overall silence gave the impression that officers were not being forthcoming,” the report said.
Guidepost suggested the reunification process could be improved by broader staff training and formalized protocols.
Ambulances travel on Ray Road near Oxford High School on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 30, 2021. Scores of police, fire, and EMS personnel responded to a shooting that killed four students and wounded seven others, including a teacher, inside the school. (Todd McInturf, The Detroit News)
A driver suspected of being under the influence of a substance was arrested after hitting a parked Farmington Public Safety Department vehicle early Sunday, injuring an officer and two others, police said.
The Farmington Public Safety Department officer was helping the Farmington Hills Police Department with a traffic stop at about 1 a.m. Sunday on Grand River Avenue near Drake Road in Farmington Hills when the crash took place.
A driver going eastbound on Grand River Avenue allegedly rear-ended the Farmington Public Safety Department vehicle. That driver’s vehicle then spun into traffic and was hit head-on by another driver who also was going eastbound.
The police officer and two others were treated for minor injuries at a hospital and were expected to make full recoveries. The crash is under investigation by the Farmington Hills Police Department’s traffic unit.
The department did not say in a release issued on social media what substance officers suspect the driver allegedly had been using before the crash.
In its press release, the Farmington Hills Public Safety reminded drivers to move over and slow down when they approach stationary emergency vehicles.
“We are grateful no one was seriously injured or killed in this crash,” the department said. “We would like to thank the Farmington Hills Police and Fire Departments for the care they provided for our officer and the other drivers.”
As an investigation continues into a Sept. 1 shooting at a Rochester Hills hotel where two people were hit by gunfire and one of them died, a 21-year-old man from Cincinnati, Ohio is charged with assault with intent to murder and weapons-related offenses in connection with the incident.
Other people are being investigated for their involvement in the shooting, said Steve Huber, spokesperson for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
The Cincinnati man, Calvin Roger Jones, Jr., is held in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $2 million. The assault with intent to murder charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Jones is also charged with carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of felony firearm.
The sheriff’s office identified the victim who died as Mykqelle Rashad Scott, 28, also of Cincinnati, Ohio. Jones is not charged in Scott’s death.
Calvin Jones booking photo
According to the sheriff’s office, the shooting stemmed from an altercation in the parking lot of the Fairfield Inn on South Rochester Road involving at least three people. Scott was killed and the other shooting victim sustained injuries that weren’t life threatening, the sheriff’s office said. A vehicle collision on South Boulevard connected to the shooting didn’t result in any serious injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
Additional information including the possibility of other charges being filed is expected to be released at some point. The Oakland Press will report further on the incident when more details are available.
As revealed at his arraignment Sept. 5, Ladamien Keith Hill, 43, has a criminal history dating back more than two decades, with convictions for violent crimes including assault and battery and domestic violence, as well as drug- and alcohol-related offenses.
He has fathered seven children, is single and has lived in Redford Township for the past six or seven years with the mother of one of his kids, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
His occupation is listed as a self-employed roofer.
Hill is charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated homicide for the deaths of his sister, 41-year-old Linda Hill, and her child, 12-year-old son, Kardi Jackson. They were found in a “gruesome, bloody scene” at a home located at 23084 Berdeno Street by officers responding to a call from Linda Hill’s uncle on Sept. 1 shortly after 4 p.m.
Linda Hill (photo shared by GoFundMe)Kardi Jackson (photo shared by GoFundMe)
Hazel Park police said Linda Hill’s 64-year-old uncle, who lives in the basement of the Berdeno Street home, told them he had been in the basement all day watching television when he heard loud noises; approximately 15 to 30 minutes later he went upstairs and found Linda Hill unresponsive, then called police.
Officers found Linda Hill lying facedown in the living room, and Kardi Jackson in the laundry room, police said, both with severe cuts to their throats. As of Sept. 5, the weapon used in the homicides hadn’t been recovered, and a motive for the crimes hadn’t been determined, officials said.
Ladamien Hill was arrested the next evening at a home on Whittemore Street in Pontiac where he reportedly had been staying. Officials said they recovered bloody clothing and other evidence — including Hill’s written notes about plans to flee and items he needed to do so, such as a passport, firearms and a car. Hill has also been connected to a red Lincoln seen at the scene of the slayings, police said.
Prior to his arrest — according to family members — after officers had cleared the crime scene Hill had returned to his sister’s home, asked for forgiveness and then lied down naked on Linda Hill’s bed for a few minutes before leaving, police said.
Held in the Oakland County Jail, denied bond, Hill is scheduled to return to Hazel Park’s 43rd District Court on Sept. 16 for a probable cause conference, followed by a preliminary exam a week later.
Due to a caseload that a lead attorney said has “skyrocketed,” Oakland County prosecutors are asking for nearly a half million dollars from their local government to combat human trafficking.
Following a Human Trafficking Training Center instructional session in November, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office has handled 31 trafficking cases. This rate dwarfs the number from the four years leading up to the training, which averaged eight such cases per 10 months, according to records from the prosecutor’s office.
“Our numbers have skyrocketed in terms of cases, because people know what to look for,” said Cindy Brown, who leads human trafficking prosecution efforts in Oakland County.
Brown’s team consists of of three full-time prosecutors, a part-time prosecutor, a paralegal and an investigator. She said the team is not big enough.
“It’s kind of like having a teacher who has 80 students, right? You can’t have time to spend with 80 students as opposed to 25 or 30 in your classroom,” Brown said.
Because of the caseload, the prosecutor’s office is requesting $457,000 from the county for two paralegals, an assistant prosecutor and salary funding for a chief of the team, spokesperson Jeff Wattrick said.
County Commission Chairman Dave Woodward, D-Royal Oak, confirmed Thursday that this request would be included in the 2026 fiscal year budget, which the commissioners are set to vote on Sept. 18.
Brown’s team members aren’t the only county officials with a new focus on stopping human trafficking in Oakland County. In the field, law enforcement officers with the county sheriff’s office and Auburn Hills, Southfield and Madison Heights police departments have also formed a task force to curb human trafficking, she said.
The officers have conducted stings on illicit massage parlors, which were turned over to Brown’s team for prosecution.
“These people are often violently abused, they have no ID, they have no resources,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald told county commissioners at an Aug. 20 budget hearing.
Woodward said human trafficking cases are “extremely complex” and might initially appear as a minor drug or solicitation offense. But once investigators and prosecutors start looking further, their probe could reveal evidence of trafficking in phone records and bank records — pieces of the investigation that deserve scrupulous attention, said Brown.
Brown said one case her team is prosecuting has 29 cellphones in evidence. Another case included 30 women whom the trafficker mostly communicated with through Facebook Messenger.
“One victim alone was almost 15,000 pages (of text), and that was one person, one piece of evidence,” Brown said.
On top of that, the prosecutor said there’s often a language barrier in the cases. Most of the search warrants written in human trafficking cases are in Mandarin Chinese, she said.
It’s because of these complexities that Brown said her team needs more members — specifically, more paralegals to do research. She called paralegals “the backbone” of her unit.
“There’s just a lot of discovery, and if we’re going to prosecute these cases the way they should be prosecuted, we need the resources. Because otherwise, we’re not going to have the time and the resources to thoroughly and adequately review these cases, follow up on investigations to see what needs to be done, and be prepared in court,” Brown said.
Woodward argued “no other county in Michigan” has invested the resources to curb human trafficking like Oakland County.
“I believe, as we go forward, Oakland County is going to continue to be a leader in helping to keep our communities safe,” Woodward said.
Cindy Brown, left, of the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office Trafficking Unit, and Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, attend a human trafficking training session in Pontiac in early November. McDonald said her office has three assistant prosecutors who try trafficking cases but could use more.
The gray building on University Drive in Pontiac looks like other light industrial spaces. But the building’s current status is complicated by a murder, a cannabis operation and multiple ordinance violations.
Ongoing litigation has frozen the city’s ability to enforce building standards at the site, where businessman Sam Simko was killed on Jan. 12. Three men are scheduled for an April 13, 2026, trial for the Commerce Township man’s slaying.
City officials have long been familiar with the building. In 2021, then-Mayor Dierdre Waterman’s administration granted a business license to four addresses — 1012, 1014, 1016 and 1018 University Drive — to operate as a caregiver’s medical marijuana growing operation, according to city records. Justin Corlin was listed as the business owner. He could not be reached for this story.
Such operations are allowed under the 2008 Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, which states that people who are primary caregivers may grow 12 plants per patient, with a limit of six patients; they cannot grow more than 72 plants. Waterman’s administration never completed plans for a cannabis licensing process for medical or recreational marijuana. Caregiving businesses are considered a separate category.
After Simko’s death, Oakland County sheriff’s deputies recovered an estimated 50 pounds of marijuana, or 800 ounces, found with the three murder suspects. Police did not disclose how many plants were being cultivated in the building but referred to it as a large operation. The value of the recovered 800 ounces of marijuana is unclear, as area retailers’ online prices range from about $60 per ounce to more than $400.
City inspection records for Suite 1012, one of four suites at a single University Drive building in Pontiac. (Screenshot of public records)
The University Drive industrial warehouse was built in 1987 and is just over 10,000 square feet with 16-foot-high ceilings and four vehicle entrances as well as traditional doors.
While Waterman’s administration listed the four addresses, considered suites, as part of a medical-caregiver grow operation in 2021, city spokeswoman Paula Bridges said only Suites 1012 and 1014, are currently considered a “previously approved non-conforming caregiver operation” owned by Simko.
Suites 1012 and 1014 were leased by Simko from the property’s owner, Precision Investment Group. Precision’s business registration belongs to Bloomfield Hills businessman David Supal. Suites 1016 and 1018 are considered occupied by Precision.
Supal told The Oakland Press his lawyer advised him not to discuss the building or any related litigation.
City officials responding to a 2019 complaint about Simko’s operation learned he had no business license for that site. The code inspector also found that the property had been divided into suites and new addresses added without city approval. The city’s code enforcement action required an architectural drawing to show the separate suites and permits for the construction work.
Bridges said Suites 1016 and 1018 never received permits for operating as a primary caregiver marijuana facility, and “to the best of the city’s knowledge, is not engaging in any marijuana grow operations.”
City inspection records for Suite 1012, one of four suites at a single University Drive building in Pontiac. (Screenshot of public records)
On Aug. 27, 2024, nearly five months before Simko’s death, Pontiac building official Bruce Eck visited Suite 1016 to investigate a complaint. In his notes, which are public record, he wrote “marijuana facility is illegally open. They will need to cease and desist immediately.”
Eck’s inspection notes state that the operation did not meet zoning requirements and that police might get involved if the operation wasn’t shut down in the next seven days and the property owner could be ticketed.
The record shows he last visited Suite 1016 on Jan. 6 and approved the work. But the text on that same page dated Jan. 14 notes that the inspection was improperly marked and that the building’s owner still needed the city’s zoning board’s approval to operate as a medical marijuana facility. The text states Suite 1016 needed a fire-safety inspection and permits for evident construction work, as none had been pulled. The text ends with a message highlighted by two asterisks: “Please note that previous use in this building [was] never approved for medical marijuana facility.”
Bridges said Eck inspected Suite 1016 on Sept. 4, 2024, and scheduled a progress check for March 17. His notes show he planned to verify that proper permits had been obtained and the suite met standards for a certificate of occupancy. But he was fired on March 10 after three abandoned children were found in a filthy townhouse on the city’s west side. Eck is suing the city for wrongful discharge.
Because of the litigation between Precision and the city, Bridges said, “the building division has not taken any action” to re-inspect Suites 1016 and 1018 and Precision has not requested any new permits.
City inspection records for Suite 1014, one of four suites at a single University Drive building in Pontiac. (Screenshot of public records)
On Jan. 14, two days after Simko’s body was found in the University Drive building, Eck visited Suite 1018 and prohibited occupancy. He scheduled a progress check for March 18, according to city records. Litigation has also precluded code inspectors from following up and Supal’s company has not applied for any new permits, Bridges said.
Precision still “has no city approvals to operate any business (at Suites 1016-1018),” Bridges said, adding that, to city officials’ knowledge, no cannabis being grown at those suites.
Eck visited Suite 1012 on July 10, 2024, and tagged the door with a notice that the business did not have a certificate of occupancy, which is granted only after permitted work is completed and passed city inspections. He and the fire marshal returned on Sept. 4, 2024, for a final inspection. “All OK,” Eck’s inspection note said.
On the same date, Eck issued a certificate of occupancy to Suite 1014.
Suites 1012 and 1014 are each listed on the city’s building records as “a legal non-conforming medical marijuana caregiver facility.”
City inspection records for Suite 1016, one of four suites at a single University Drive building in Pontiac. (Screenshot of public records)City inspection records for Suite 1016, one of four suites at a single University Drive building in Pontiac. (Screenshot of public records)City inspection records for Suite 1018, one of four suites at a single University Drive building in Pontiac. (Screenshot of public records)
The Pontiac building where Sam Simko was found fatally shot on Jan. 13 (Peg McNichol/MediaNews Group)
A preliminary examination is scheduled for the case against a Pontiac woman accused in an alleged road rage incident that led to a Clarkston man being hit by a car outside a Meijer store and suffering a broken leg last month.
Samantha Jaynes, 25, is charged with felonious assault and a misdemeanor charge of failure to stop at the scene of an accident for the alleged Aug. 20 incident in Auburn Hills. The exam will be held before 52-3 District Judge Laura Polizzi who will be presented with evidence and then determine if probable cause exists for the case to be bound over to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial.
Samantha Jaynes booking photo
Police said the incident unfolded at around 7 p.m. on Aug. 20 during a road rage altercation on I-75. Jaynes reportedly followed the man to the Meijer’s drive-through pharmacy; he exited his car and an argument ensued. Jaynes allegedly pepper-sprayed the man and then hit him with her car as she backed up. Jaynes fled the scene but was later arrested and charged.
Jaynes was let out of jail on Aug. 22 on a personal bond, which requires no cash or surety to be posted.
If convicted of the felonious assault charge, Jaynes faces up to four years in prison and/or a $2,000 fine. The misdemeanor is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $100 fine.
Students in Michigan have returned to school and with that comes a need for drivers to stay on alert and aware of school buses cruising through communities picking up children and dropping them off.
“Traffic tends to spike during the first days of school as many parents opt to drive their children,” Adrienne Woodland, a spokesperson for AAA-The Auto Club Group said in a news release. “We advise adding 30 minutes to your morning commute. Drivers running late are more prone to speeding, which endangers lives.”
Motorists also need to be aware of Michigan’s laws requiring motorists to stop when approaching a school bus pulled over with its red lights flashing and STOP arm extended.
The only exception is on a divided highway with a raised divider, yet 20% of Michigan respondents in a survey by AAA admitted to driving around a school bus while its red lights were flashing, which could result in fines and fatalities. A similar survey by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) estimated nationwide there were more than 43.5 million illegal school bus passings during the 2022-2023 school year.
AAA provided this explanation of the laws in Michigan: “When it comes to a two lane street all drivers moving in either direction on a two-way street must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children and the school bus stop arm is withdrawn.
“In the case of a multi-lane paved median all drivers moving in either direction must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children AND the school bus stop arm is withdrawn.
“Traffic approaching an oncoming school bus on a divided highway do not need to stop if there is a raised barrier such as a concrete divider or at least five feet of unpaved space separating the lanes of traffic. However, these motorists should slow down and watch for students loading or unloading from the bus.”
AAA offers drivers these tips for school zone safety:• Avoid distractions• Remain focused on the road. No texting, eating or multitasking while driving.• Brake for safety• Slow down and stay alert. School zones are unpredictable, so be ready to stop at a moment’s notice.• Keep a watchful eye on pedestrians and bicyclists• Be aware of school zone signs, crossing guards, AAA School Safety Patrollers, and anyone walking or biking. Always yield and drive cautiously.
Other survey stats:• 46% admitted to speeding in an active school zone.• 33% admitted to using their hand-held cell phone while driving in active school zones.
Nationwide, nearly one out of every five children (age 14 and under) killed in traffic crashes are pedestrians, however, safety experts say distracted walking can be just as dangerous as distracted driving.
“Now is the time to talk to your children about traffic safety,” Woodland said. “Discourage students from wearing earbuds or looking down at digital devices while standing at the bus stop or walking near traffic. Otherwise, they may not hear an approaching vehicle.”
• Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings and avoid using headphones or looking down at your phone when near traffic.• Use sidewalks where available. If not, walk against the direction of traffic so you can see oncoming vehicles.• Make yourself easier to be seen by wearing reflective, bright colored clothing.• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street to make sure the vehicle is stopping.
For bicyclists and those using scooters
• Always wear a helmet.• Ride with traffic and use bike lanes when you can.• Do not wear headphones so you can detect approaching traffic.• Cross streets at intersections- not from between parked cars.
For students riding the bus
• Arrive at least 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.• Stand five steps away from the curb.• Wait for the bus to stop completely and for the bus driver’s signal before boarding.
Despite the law, 20% of Michigan respondents in a survey by AAA admitted to driving around a school bus while its red lights were flashing. MACCOMB DAILY FILE PHOTO)
One person is dead and at least one other was injured after a “chaotic incident” Monday that began as a fight in the parking lot of the Fairfield Inn in Rochester Hills and ended in a traffic crash near Rochester Road and South Boulevard, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
In a social media post Monday night, officials said at least three people were involved in the altercation in the hotel parking lot, and two were shot. Oakland County Sheriff’s officials did not make clear who did the shooting.
“While no one sustained serious injuries in the vehicle collision, two of the at least three individuals involved in the parking lot altercation were shot, and one has died,” the Facebook post read. “Three people connected to this incident have now been identified, and we are investigating to see if others were involved.”
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