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A2Indy Files FOIA Suit Against Supreme Felons, Inc. to Force Release of Public Records
by P.D. Lesko
On Nov. 21, 2024 the Ann Arbor Independent filed suit in the Washtenaw County 22nd Circuit Court against Supreme Felons, Inc. In Sept. of 2024, the newspaper submitted two Freedom of Information Act requests to Supreme…
Trio of Washtenaw County Reps. Behind Legislation to Keep Judges From Denying Bail to Violent Criminals
by Hasan Almasi
Six bills under consideration in the Michigan’s House Criminal Justice Committee would reform state law to limit judges from requiring bail as a condition of release for some accused criminals awaiting trial.
Among…
Ypsi Twp. Trustees “Outraged”: The County Prosecutor Is Soft on Gun Crime
by P.D. Lesko
It was dark at 6 a.m. Oct. 8, 2024, when an Ypsilanti Twp. employee arrived for work at the Township’s maintenance building. Spencer Alexander-McCoy Allen, a felon on lifetime parole, ambushed that employee, pointed a…
Judge in Scio Supervisor-Elect Jillian Kerry’s Case Calls Her Lawyer’s Allegations of Political Corruption in Washtenaw County, “Insane”
by P.D. Lesko
In Nov. 2023, Scio Twp. Supervisor Will Hathaway walked into the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Dept. and filed a complaint naming Scio Twp. Trustee Jillian Kerry. Hathaway alleged that Kerry had hacked his Outlook.com email…
A2Indy Wins FOIA Suit: Judge Rules Background Check of Alleged Serial Rapist Hired as a Sheriff’s Deputy Must Be Released
by P.D. Lesko
In June 2024, using money donated by readers to the Ann Arbor Independent's FOIA Fund, the newspaper filed suit in the Washtenaw County Trial Court to compel Washtenaw County to release Sheriff's Deputy D'Angelo…
Judge Rules Against Washtenaw County’s Motion to Dismiss The A2Indy’s FOIA Suit
by P.D. Lesko
On Sept. 18, 2024 Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Julia B. Owdziej ruled against a Motion for Summary Disposition filed by the law firm of Miller Johnson, retained by Washtenaw County to defend against the A2Indy's…
Puttin’ on the Ritz (Hilton, Hyatt, & Crowne Plaza): County Employee Credit Card Records
by P.D. Lesko
While County Administrator Greg Dill and the County Commissioners mull over asking County taxpayers to raise their own property taxes through a ballot initiative, Washtenaw County credit card and checkbook records which…
A2Indy Threatened With SLAPP Suit by Washtenaw County DEI Dir. Just Prior to Her Resignation
by P.D. Lesko
On July 27, the Ann Arbor Independent received an email letter from lawyer Robert Burton-Harris, husband of County Chief Asst. Prosecutor Victoria Burton-Harris. In his letter, Robert Burton-Harris, who specializes in…
MI Court of Appeals: Washtenaw Trial Court Judge Erred in Ordering Child Visitation For Sexual Abuser
by P.D. Lesko
NOTE:This is one in a series of articles about the Washtenaw County Trial Court and cases where a litigant or litigants appealed a County Trial Court judge’s ruling. The majority of local Trial Court rulings are…
Ann Arbor Independent Files Lawsuit to Obtain Background Check of Sheriff’s Deputy Accused of Sex Crimes
Note: The A2Indy FOIA Fund has taken in over $40,000 in 2024. The newspaper uses this fund to pay to obtain public records. This is the newspaper's first lawsuit against Washtenaw County for refusing to turn over public records.
On…