BATTLE CREEK, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department deputy has been fired after the department’s Office of Professional Standards concluded its investigation into the January 2, 2021 incident involving deputies in the City of Springfield and the arrest of a man who was just circulating a petition in his own neighborhood.
A statement released Friday from Sheriff Steve Hinkley said, “We hold ourselves to high standards of professionalism to the communities we protect. When we are right, we are right. When we are wrong, we admit we are wrong. On January 2, we were wrong.”
The incident was recorded and uploaded to YouTube by a private citizen.
In the video, both La-Ron Marshall and the person recording the video said that Marshall was collecting signatures for a petition, and was not asking for money.
In the video statement released January 6, Sheriff Hinkley said police had received a call about possible soliciting.
“Two Calhoun County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a neighborhood where a caller had reported a suspicious person that was possibly soliciting,” Sheriff Hinkley said. “Although that caller’s initial thought that that activity was illegal, when the deputy made contact with the individual in this case, it appears he may have been acting on ordinances that were valid in other communities, and not this particular community.”
Transparency and honesty to our community is the foundation to all of our success. The conduct and actions of this case, in which Mr. Marshall was collecting signatures, does not represent our commitment to our community. The actions that Mr. Marshall took that day of circulating a petition are protected by our constitution. While some ordinances in communities, even within Calhoun County, prohibit vendors from selling items without a permit, no law—local, state or federal—prohibited Mr. Marshall from exercising his constitutional rights on January 2.”
The deputy had originally been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation,
Sheriff Hinkley said he and Undersheriff Tim Hurtt had a productive conversation with Marshall and his attorney two weeks ago, and the criminal charges in the case were dismissed. Hinkley says they are reviewing procedure, policies, and training to ensure the community receives the best service from their department.
