Alright, also sweet.
OK, so I guess the first question.
How busy is your office been because
of this batch related investigation,
I'm gonna calls. Do you think
you're getting a day about it?
200 or so. I mean, you know,
the front desk is dealing with
a lot of them and and you know,
for the most part,
I think they're fairly respectable,
and you know nobody's causing
that big of an issue.
But then, a lot of them
get passed through to me,
and I've, you know,
had my voice mailbox fall in a few days.
What are the calls? I mean 200.
I guess first is that a lot more than you're
used. Yeah, I mean we can go days.
There's depending on the cases we
can go days we go weeks without
hearing anything about a case.
It's, you know,
certain cases obviously get media attention,
and this is one that does get it.
But you know, it's to be honest,
both sides here, both from both sides.
People think?
Yeah, we should file charges and
when we file charges yet and other
people are thinking, you know,
we shouldn't be considering charges.
And why is this even under consideration?
So I've heard from both sides.
Whether it be not only the
phone messages emails,
you know Facebook posts,
just about any any medium you can think of.
What do you think is the
reason for the length of this
investigation for cases like this,
whether it's officer involved shootings
or simply high profile cases,
why do you think they take so long?
I mean, it's been weeks
this is typical. I mean,
this is I keep on trying to emphasize.
This is typical for any
shooting investigation.
I use the Byron Center,
the individual who had shot a alleged
intruder outside his home that
we just got that case last week.
I mean, I'm just reviewing
finally that case now.
So when you get a major shooting
and very often it could take
time to go through things.
Not every case is cut and dried and and
things don't get resolved in an hour.
I think that's the the common.
Miss what miss thought.
What people think that Jesus should
be done but you know it usually takes.
I've said, you know, anyway,
from 2 weeks to two months,
that's the typical run for an investigation.
Depending on what's going on.
So say police are working on it,
and I know they're very diligent in there.
They want to get it complete too.
And then I'm just going to make
sure I read all these questions
first to to get all of them I guess.
Four for your office as another side
of the government with law enforcement,
what message are you able to send to
to show people that you're going to be
holding people accountable to whether it is?
Prosecuting or not,
you're getting all these calls
every day and like you mentioned,
on both sides,
how are you assuring to people that
you're going to be playing a deadline?
I think the biggest thing is,
I mean, we've done these before.
This is not the first time we've had an
officer involved shooting in Kent County,
and so we treat every case with the same
care and and the same seriousness is,
is it deserves.
Whether it gets national attention
or whether you know we've had some
that don't get very much attention.
But we take a look at everything.
They based the decision on the facts
and the law as is presented to us,
and it's not.
You know, it's not just a a
contest where you're asking.
You know.
Asking for a poll.
This is something we take very seriously
and we've done before and unfortunately
probably have to do it again.
But it's something that we have
dealt with and and we will deal
with it based on the facts and the
evidence as we do in every case
that comes through this office.
And then for a high profile
case for someone like yourself
who is an elected official.
Do you feel pressure?
Based on the constituents that voted
you in to rule on one side or another,
no. I mean yeah,
I don't know who are the we got votes.
I mean people getting votes.
I guess I don't feel the pressure.
I mean, I think that's ultimately,
you know, I kind of welcome that.
I think that's why you know.
People have asked,
why don't you know,
we disqualify ourselves,
and I think that's the important thing is
we are most we're closest to the electorate.
OK, we're a local entity.
We face election from the local population.
So I think it's important for
the local voters to be able to
weigh in when that comes time to
do so based on if they want to
base it simply on this decision,
or if they want to base it on the body.
They work over the four years,
but I think that's the most important
thing is I'm very firm believer
in having that local aspect to
it because they're the we are,
the ones most responsive to the
people who we represent in this area,
and this is a question
you've answered before,
but I want to revisit it,
especially now that we know Attorney General.
Nessel has said that she would
be willing to take the case.
We know about the campaign
contribution from the police union.
Do you think that's something
that other people could point
to and say that you don't have
the ability to remain unbiased?
Sure, people compete on point to all kinds
of things to say that that's the case,
but the biggest thing is that
this that you never came up.
Like I said, we've dealt with at least 10,
maybe 12 officer involved shootings.
Decision issue never came up up
until this point, and I just did.
An officer involved shooting
about a month and a half ago,
and you didn't hear Boo about that.
So what changes this now?
Why suddenly now it's an issue now?
It's something that's going to,
you know, force me to disqualify myself.
And it hasn't in the past,
and so you know, that's one.
Once again,
I think it's important that the
electric can take a look at that
and make their decision what it
comes down to vote because that'll
be the the people I represent
are right here in Kent County,
and I'm most responsive to them.
Not somebody in Lansing who kind of you know,
a lot of times has other voters
from other districts who really
don't care what happened
here and then.
I guess for you as as someone who.
Your office has not stepped in yet
because MSP is still investigating.
Once that does get turned over to you.
How does the outside voice impact?
Does it have any say at all whatsoever
where you're hearing from protesters?
No, I mean like I said,
we based on the facts and the facts and law.
That's the only thing we
base our decision on this.
Something we can base our decision on.
So to say we've been in contact with the
police and we're we're talking about things.
And if the questions come up so it's not
like we're completely just hands off.
But that once again is how
these investigations go.
This is no different than
any other investigation.
We rarely. You know,
jump in and get involved in an investigation.
Unless sometimes you know police call
and and we need investigators subpoenas
because we have difficult witnesses.
You know those circumstances
aren't in this case,
so this is following just like any
other officer involved shooting.
It's following the vast pattern of
the vast majority of investigations
that we handle in this office
thousands of times a year.
And this is going to be a hypothetical
because we don't know what's going to
come out of that investigation by MSP.
But if this does reach a jury trial,
how does the high profile nature
of everything we've seen leading
up to now in the demonstrations
were expecting over the weekend
and likely the weekends to come?
When you go to a jury trial for
a high profile case like this,
if this does get a jury,
how do you think that?
The nature of this shooting in
particular will impact that courtroom.
I think that's something you know
we've had high field Prof cases.
Once again, you know this,
you know, we've had.
We've been had national
attention on certain cases,
so I don't think it's going to be
that much different in terms of and
you deal with it in jury selection,
whether it be us, whether it be the defense,
you know, you know,
high profile cases happen across the country,
we're no different, and I think we
can handle it if it comes to that.
I don't know if it's going to come to that,
obviously,
but if something like that happens, I'm not.
Troubled by it because it's just
going to be something that we'll
have to deal with in the courtroom,
and I think,
especially in Kent County,
jurors are very take their
roles very seriously to handle
a case and deal with the cases.
The facts in the courtroom as
they're instructed to do and not,
you know, go outside.
I don't think so.
I know Carla asked this morning.
Do you have a timeline you
expect to get this from?
Still, I'm hoping you know.
Ballpark next week is in my kind
of internal clock in terms of
how these things normally go.
I'm expecting sometime next week.
Got it and then, but then I don't know
how long after this because I get it.
It's not like I'm going to come
back that day because here's the
investigation is going to take time
for me to go through it as well,
and we're going to be as thorough as
we can and make sure even if we get
the investigation part of it is hey.
There may be some other questions.
I know they've done XY&ZI mean
they need a witness.
I mean need this followed up on.
I may have questions based on
what's presented so you know
it it it's not a safe process.
There are not a safe but not
a quick process to, you know.
Just because I got it,
you're going to get a decision
that afternoon.
Awesome, anything else you want
to add? Everything that's it.
Great thank you so much.
Yeah, just totally different case.
Is there any?
Can you talk about the Kentwood,
the Mccullar and the Justin House
or anything that we want about that?
Because I know that you know, like.
You know he got like oh right
because I think was it you that?
Yeah, we wanted him to have more time.
He wanted more time with it
and that's that's another example.
I mean in terms of that case, took,
you know, took some time as well.
That happened.
I think it was before even this incident,
but that took some time as well.
Now the police made an arrest.
We said no, we need more evidence.
You know they presented with
a report and we said no,
we need more stuff in that circumstance.
The person was lodged.
We had the, you know sent let them go.
And that was our call to make until we got
enough evidence that we felt we would,
we would be able to proceed on that case.
And so another example of.
Yeah, it took some time as well that
took weeks on a very serious case.
That's a 13 year old who was shot and
killed so you know when you compare them.
It's about the same timeline.
It's just that this one people are much more.
You know,
we need some answers now,
and that's not always what happens.
I really appreciate.