Isabella County Sheriff's Department Screws Tenants

Isabella County Tenants Beware! Sheriff's Department Can & Will Evict You Without Due Process!

Isabella County Prosecutor / Larry Burdick

Larry was elected to serve Isabella County as the Prosecuting Attorney. Unless I am mistaken, Larry has also sworn the same oath to the people of Isabella County as the Board of Commissioners and also, come to think of it, Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski as well. I have stopped in to see Larry a couple times over the last five months and he declined to see me.

I think Larry is also on the Board of Commissioners because he has a reserved seat at the crescent shaped desk.

Larry is probably in a awkward position when it comes to me because of the different conflicts of interest that exists. On one hand I am a criminal for calling 9-1-1 and on the other hand my family has been victimized by the police. What I can't seem to get across here Larry is that the police victimized my entire family and not just me so you could get around this massive conflict of interest issue by attempting to hear the same complaint from my 8 year old son or my 11 year old daughter! Who, if not me, their father, gets to speak for them? You can't criminalize my children to avoid this issue can you? They weren't arrested for calling 9-1-1, I was... Minor children don't have rights, safety and security in Isabella County? Children can have their house, papers and possessions seized in the absence of due process and your office isn't interested in hearing our complaint???

His department (Isabella County Prosecuting Attorney's Office) also represented Deputy Steinert personally and individually when I petitioned the court for a PPO (Personal Protection Order) against deputy Steinert. I am still really really confused as to how or why my tax dollars paid for the defense of the defendant in my request for PPO against Steinert?!? Ironically, the case heard in the same court just prior to mine was another PPO hearing against another County Officer and he didn't have a Senior Prosecutor (at the tax payers expense) at his side defending him?!? Deputy Steinert did not have to speak a word in court??? His lawyer... My lawyer did all Steinert's talking while he just sat there with a really big grin on his face.

How is one supposed to do his or her job with so damn many conflicts of interest?

On one hand, he is supposed to serve the people by making sure the laws of Michigan are enforced and on the other hand he is tasked with taking care of the County itself. I appreciate this conundrum, I really do! But something more than nothing needs to happen right?

Larry should have gotten a copy of the email and hand carried documents that I delivered to the Board of Commissioners right? He should have also received a copy of the complaint that I filed with Undersheriff Tellis on September 27th, 2010 right? Sheriff Leo should have also forwarded my complaints to Larry as well you would think, right?

Well I have decided that the chain of command communication lines are down so I have emailed Larry directly and here is what I sent him. email to Larry

The Prosecuting Attorney is an elected official with a four-year term of office, as provided by the Michigan constitution. Elections occur at the time of the Presidential election, on the partisan ballot. The Prosecuting Attorney is independent of the Michigan Attorney General. The Prosecuting Attorney’s office is responsible for a wide array of legal functions in our county, some of which include:

* chief law enforcement official in the County.
* reviews, authorizes and prosecutes violations of felony and misdemeanor criminal laws of the State of Michigan (and County ordinances) committed inside the County.
* authorizes and prosecutes felony & misdemeanor juvenile delinquency offenses.
* represents the County in criminal matters before the District & Circuit Courts; juvenile delinquency, parental neglect and miscellaneous probate matters in the Circuit Court/Family Division and the Probate Court, and appeals in the Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court.
* advises the Family Independence Agency on child abuse and neglect petitions, and actions to terminate parental rights.
* attends contested mental health commitment hearings.
* represents and advises the County Board of Commissioners and other County departments on legal matters.
presides at a monthly concealed Weapon Permit Board, unless he or she appoints a certified firearms instructor to replace the Prosecuting Attorney.
* files and prosecutes actions to establish paternity.
* files actions to establish a family support order.

Responsibilities and Functions:

The Prosecuting Attorney protects the rights, safety and security of all persons within the boundaries of the County through the enforcement of state law as mandated by the State Constitution and Statutes. The office prosecutes all felony offenses occurring in the county and all of the misdemeanors and civil infractions that are not covered by city and township ordinances.

Questions and Answers:

Q: Can I report a crime to the Isabella County Prosecuting Attorney's Office?
A: Crimes should be reported to the police department that has jurisdiction
over the area where the crime occurred.

Questions "without" Answers:

Q: Larry, what if I believe that the crime involves the police department or law enforcement?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, what if the cops threaten to arrest me for trying to report a crime that involved another cop?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, who polices the police?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, what reporting system do you have for reporting police misconduct?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, why are cops on the street professing to be Judge, Jury and Executioners?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, isn't it true that we really wouldn't need lawyers, prosecutors and judges if the cops are going to act as Judge, Jury and Executioner in the streets and perform all of these key functions themselves? "While your head is buried in the sand, the County is victimizing it's citizens by violating their rights, safety and security."
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, isn't it fair to say that without an effective system of reporting police misconduct that the county of Isabella believes that no such misconduct could ever or would ever occur and that this naļve notion and total lack of accountability will ultimately bite you in the ass so to speak?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, wouldn't you say that asking the police to police themselves is a lot like asking a snake to eat itself and then expecting that to actually happen?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, isn't it true that police misconduct is a real issue and that Isabella County makes absolutely no provision for the reporting of these types of unfortunate problems?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, why is it that your office defended Deputy Steinert when I attempted to get a PPO against him in an effort to restore my family's Civil Liberties and our access and availability to law enforcement?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, why did you not stop to think or wonder why a Deputy in your county had to go to court to defend himself against a PPO request and more specifically why did you not attempt to contact the family that initiated what they had discovered to be their only means of reporting police misconduct in your county?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, your website claims that your office protects the rights, safety and security of all persons within the boundaries of the County through the enforcement of state law and for the life of me I cannot find the specific exclusion for my family nor can I find the specific exclusion that allows law enforcement to, willfully and without cause, interfere with a persons rights, safety and security.
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, what kind of training programs are our police officers going through that teaches them about more than just the fact that they have absolute discretion and qualified immunity?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, what provisions, if any, does Isabella County have for the victims of the County and State itself?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

Q: Larry, why do I feel that your first communication with me (yet to happen) is going to be about copyright and liable rather than the actual content of this site?
A: _____________________________________________________________?

I am sure a great many of my readers would like to know the answers to these questions as well.

Police officer misconduct and police officers committing crimes is not a flavorful topic I agree but pretending that the possibility or potential doesn't exist and not having a system in place to report and cope with this is both naļve and medieval!