Former Hamtramck police officer accused of assaulting arrestees

By Charles Sercombe
A former Hamtramck police officer is charged with multiple criminal counts of assaulting two people he arrested in 2014.
The Department of Justice recently indicted Ryan McInerney, 42, on six counts involving civil rights violations, obstruction of justice, and firearms offenses, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
The incidents allegedly occurred on July 22, 2014, and involved two separate arrests.
McInerney was with the Hamtramck Police Department for only several weeks, and he resigned after being placed on administrative leave.
City Manager Kathy Angerer declined to comment on whether he was placed on leave because of the allegations.
The indictment further says “as a result of the assaults, one of the civilians suffered broken facial bones and lacerations requiring stitches, and the other civilian suffered broken teeth, among other injuries.”
McInerney additionally is accused of “writing false reports to cover up his excessive uses of force.”
The DOJ press release did not say why the two people were arrested.
If found guilty, McInerney faces a lengthy maximum prison sentence for each charge: The obstruction charges carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each offense. The firearms charges carry a mandatory minimum and consecutive sentence of five-to-seven years in prison for each offense.
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frances Lee Carlson of the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Risa Berkower of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
In another legal action, the Hamtramck Police Department faces an additional lawsuit alleging that a Hamtramck police investigator was part of a scheme involving the police towing company.
The lawsuit, which at press time had not been served to the city, alleges Michael Stout, who is now a detective with the department, worked with a Highland Park investigator in an auto theft unit where they falsely had vehicles towed from a collision shop in Highland Park.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S, District Court a few weeks ago, also accused the investigators of using ethnic slurs against two Arab-Americans working at the collision shop.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit were told to either sign over the cars they had to the towing company or pay high storage fees to get them back.
This is the third lawsuit involving the police investigators and others. One lawsuit had to do with an incident at Sam’s Tires on Conant.
Hamtramck agreed to settle the two previous lawsuits. Details of the settlements were not available at the time The Review went to press Thursday.

Sept. 7, 2018

12 Responses to Former Hamtramck police officer accused of assaulting arrestees

  1. Fatema Hossain

    September 8, 2018 at 2:37 pm

    Good to see that the FBI is investigating use of excessive force by City of Hamtramck officers – and that a grand jury indictment has been obtained.

    I do not recall the last time a criminal federal civil rights charge was brought against an Hamtramck P.D. officer – or that it has ever previously occurred at all.

    Has anyone confirmed whether or not an FBI investigation was started or is ongoing against Stout or the Highland Park investigator mentioned in this article?

  2. Tea Party Patriot

    September 8, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    Quick questions:

    Was Mike Stout ever subject to any internal investigation by the Hamtown P.D. over the lawsuit allegations by Steve Hany that have been pending in federal court in various lawsuits over the last 2 years?

    Did Ryan McInerney receive a paid administrative leave for several months while this incident was being investigated internally?

    Why was Ryan McInerney allowed to resign in lieu of a possible firing from the Hamtown P.D.

    Why is the public learning of this assault incident just now after an FBI indictment?

    Why was Stout’s COBRA auto theft/fraud unit disbanded?

    Did the Hamtown P.D. investigate the assault incident as a criminal matter and if so, was a recommendation ever submitted to the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney whether or not to criminally charge McInerney?

    Why was Stout never prosecuted despite a Michigan State Police recommendation in connection with a dog attack on on elderly woman in 2012 that made media coverage?

    Did Stout receive three city-owned lots via no-bid sales agreements by then-Emergency Manager Cathy Square?

    Did the City of Hamtown pay – as some have suggested – for McInerney’s legal defense in a federal civil rights suit brought by the driver of the vehicle AFTER McInerney already resigned from the police department?

    Please respond to these questions, City of Hamtown!

  3. Roadman

    September 9, 2018 at 2:05 am

    “McInerney was with the Hamtramck Police Department for only several weeks, and he resigned after being placed on administrative leave………”

    Despite being on the local force a very short time, this was not the only controversy that involved Officer McInerney.

    Court records reveal that McInerney was named as a defendant along with the City of Hamtramck and fellow H.P.D. officers Jacqueline Chrachiola, Luigi Gjokaj, Daniel Kruse, and an Officer Livadic in the United States District Court action David Maslocha vs. City of Hamtramck et al, Case No. 2:15-cv-12251 filed on June 22, 2015 and dismissed upon stipulation of all parties on January 15, 2016, two days after a settlement conference before U.S. Magistrate David Grand.

    Officer Daniel Kruse is also a co-defendant of McInerney in the federal civil rights damages action brought by the driver Jibreel Montalvo who was allegedly assaulted in the case investigated by the FBI in which the recent federal grand jury indictment was handed down.

  4. Roadman

    September 9, 2018 at 2:22 am

    The Detroit Free Press, in an article in its July 8, 2017 edition, mentioned Ryan McInerney as an example regarding the general subject of police officers with questionable backgrounds being hired by departments who do not have full access to the background prior to making a hiring decision:

    “Ryan McInerney left his job in Royal Oak under a confidential settlement, which the city refused to release. Court records indicate he was fired after he rolled his SUV and abandoned the vehicle along with his badge and gun in 2002. He won his job back in arbitration. He left in 2004 and he once testified he was unable to discuss the circumstances because the agreement was confidential. He went to work for four other police agencies………..”

    http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/07/09/background-checks-could-keep-some-cops-off-street-but-dont/425483001/

  5. P.D. Insider

    September 9, 2018 at 3:15 pm

    “The DOJ press release did not say why the two people were arrested.”

    Jibreel Amin Montalvo, the plaintiff in the civil rights suit, on 2/23/15 was sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court after being plea convicted on three charges as follows:

    (1)Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property – Motor Vehicle/3-5 years in prison;

    (2)Assault/Resist/Obstructing a Police Officer/1-2 years in prison;

    (3)Assault w/Intent to Commit Felony/3-10 years in prison.

    Montalvo was paroled on 1/30/2018; he remains under Michigan Department of Corrections supervision via the Detroit Reentry Center. These aforesaid facts are a matter of public record and downloadable on the Offender Tracking Information System accessible on the Michigan Department of Corrections portal at the State of Michigan website.

    There were at least three occupants in the vehicle that Officer McInerney approached. Officer McInerney had claimed he tripped and his service revolver accidentally discharged in the direction of the stopped suspects’ car.

    None of the other occupants in the stopped vehicle have filed suit against the either City of Hamtramck or any of the reporting officers.

  6. Fatema Hussein

    September 15, 2018 at 4:02 pm

    @P.D. Insider:

    The other occupants of the stopped vehicle were Yemeni-Americans. At least two ended up serving prison sentences under plea deals.

    The occupants of that vehicle were suspected of being in an auto theft ring and were being investigated by the COBRA auto-theft unit that Michael Stout had been a member of.

    Whether Stout or other members of COBRA are also under FBI investigation has not been disclosed.

  7. Tea Party Patriot

    September 16, 2018 at 1:47 pm

    Additional quick questions – in light of the most recent comments and developments:

    What were the terms of settlement in the federal action brought by David Maslocha?

    Who were the “Yemeni-American occupants” in the vehicle that Mr. Montalvo was in when stoped by Officer Ryan McInerney – and what charges did they allegedly plea to?

    Did the resignation by Officer McInerney from the Hamtown P.D. allow him to get later employment with another local police department?

    Who were the other officers – if any – assigned to the COBRA unit and what other cities other than Hamtown and Highland Park?

    Is there any allegation in the most recent federal court lawsuit involving COBRA and Michael Stout that police were receiving some sort of benefit from the towing company to encourage them to seize and initiate towing of vehicles involved in police investigations?

    Does the Michigan State Police have a pending internal investigation into the COBRA unit – since it was a multi-jurisdictional group under the supervision of the MSP – or is their previously announced internal investigation into allegations of MSP personnel receiving certain benefits from former towing contractor owner Gasper Fiore ongoing?

    What were the terms of the settlement between the City of Hamtramck and Sam’s Tire in that lawsuit and what about that second suit that it has apparently settled also?

  8. Tea Party Patriot

    September 16, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    Of the federal indictment:

    “Of course this is disturbing…..” Karen Majewski told the Detroit News.

    The U.S. Justice Department issued a national press release from its D.C. headquarters detailing the charges

    http://www.popularcrime.com/2018/08/30/feds-indict-former-hamtramck-officer-in-civil-rights-case/

    http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-hamtramck-michigan-police-officer-indicted-excessive-use-force-obstruction-justice-and

    I wonder if the City of Hamtramck was reluctant to fire this officer for fear of damaging their position in a potential civil rights suit by the alleged victims – which was, in fact, later filed, despite the fact that Montalvo, an injured party, had apparently been sent to prison.

    It would also been difficult to afford McInerney a legal defense in that civil suit at city expense – which appears to have occurred – if they had in fact fired him for misconduct related to this incident.

  9. John Dory

    September 16, 2018 at 11:17 pm

    What in blazes is going on here?

    With all these criminal charges and civil rights suit allegations, what has the Chief of Police done internally to address these allegations?

    It sounds like anarchy is prevailing inside the department.

  10. Concerned

    September 17, 2018 at 11:37 am

    I don’t think we have a competent Police Chief.

  11. Roadman

    September 18, 2018 at 9:54 pm

    Comparison of Hamtramck, MI with Ferguson, Missouri:

    Hamtramck population: 22,423 – Ferguson 21,203;

    Date of Officer Ryan McInerney/Jibreel Montalvo shooting/assault allegations: July 22,2014.

    Date of Officer Darren Wilson/Michael Brown shooting incident: August 9, 2014.

    Both Montalvo and Brown incidents investigated by U.S. Dept.of Justice, FBI for civil rights violations.

    Both cities were over 90% white in the 1970s but have over 50% minority population today.

    Both municipal governments remain largely controlled by the white minority with allegations of oppressive conduct against the minority populations by police.

    Is Hamtramck another Ferguson?

  12. Roadman

    September 18, 2018 at 10:09 pm

    Is Ferguson becoming our sister city?

    http://www.fergusoncity.com

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