Sheriff Mat King Whistleblower with Ret. Lt. Scott Jones – Part 2

Editors Note: This video is an editorial, the thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this program are not necessarily those of GBS Media or Blue Water Healthy Living.

Ret. Lt. Scott Jones from the St. County Sheriff’s Department details the evidence to prove that Sheriff Mat King violated his own policy and procedures when he ordered that his brother, Deputy Marcus King, be released from jail,  attempted to cover it up and then lied about it when he was interviewed by the local newspaper.  

Below are documents Ret. Lt. Scott Jones referenced in the show:

Times Herald Article listed below:

https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2022/12/09/st-clair-county-sheriff-deputy-placed-on-suspension-following-drunk-driving-conviction/69715943007

Below is an email sent by Ret. Lt. Scott Jones:

* *This letter was penned in June 2023 to give the reader a time perspective and to explain the first paragraph where I indicated I have waited just over seven (7) months**

WRONG; BUT NOT WRONG ENOUGH

So I have waited for just over seven (7) months to express my thoughts, or to “go public,” as it were, on a matter that the voters of Saint Clair County can weigh in on when the time comes to cast your (their) ballot in 2024 for the position of Sheriff. To do this, let me go back to November 6, 2022 at 01:29 a.m. in Wadhams, specifically on Lapeer Road just before the intersection with Wadhams Road………….

Before I continue, the events that follow can be investigated, “vetted,” in fact anyone can request copies of the information to verify the facts by using a simple inquiry called FOIA, known as the Freedom of Information Act. And in some matters that I will explain, you can even call the Office of the Sheriff and ask to meet with Mat King. As a citizen of this county and his accountability to each of you, it should be a given that you’re able to meet with, or speak directly to him; after all, he works for you!

I continue with the November 6, 2022 date; in the early morning hours a Port Huron police officer, who was driving home, heading west on Lapeer Road in Kimball Township, came on the radio and advised his location and that he had a truck in front of him, that it was all over the road – the officer requested permission from the Saint Clair County Dispatch Center to stop the vehicle; being as I was the on-duty supervisor that night and had heard this request over the scanner, asked that he make the traffic stop and that I would send a car to his location for an investigation.

As I continue, I will not be using the officers / deputy’s names, those have been made public months ago and are available to you, the reader (and voter) in several previous social media postings as well as available to you in the report filed by the Saint Clair County S.O. under the number 220041543.

In short, after I, and the reporting deputies arrived on scene, we did conduct an OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) investigation and it was determined, after several field sobriety tests and a P.B.T. (Preliminary Breath Test), that the driver was intoxicated and subsequently arrested. Because the driver was an employee of the Sheriffs Department, I made a determination to have him taken to the Lapeer County Jail for a breathalyzer and to be lodged there until release.

After the deputies had cleared the scene and were enroute to Lapeer County, I attempted to make notification, per our departmental policy, with the Captain of the Road Patrol; this arrest, required notification because the arrestee was a member of our department. Again, I remind you names are not being used, and the facts I provide can be proven – such as the phone calls I made, and one particular call I received, regarding this event; again I won’t be using the details, just the events that took place

I first called the Captain, and had to leave a message, its was detailed and I requested a call back – not reaching him, I then called the Undersheriff and had the same outcome, no answer so I left a voicemail. I did not call the Sheriff after getting two voicemail boxes because it would create a conflict of interest as it was his brother who had been arrested. As an aside, no, I never received a response to my message from either the Captain or the Undersheriff, so the shift continued.

I work 5p.m. to 5 a.m.; we are relieved in the last half-hour before the shift ends which is where we pass on anything of importance that may need follow-up investigation / vehicle maintenance / or to pass on administrative issues. I returned to the office just before 4 a.m. to unload my car and handle end of shift duties. Here is where I will use a few details; at 4:03, my phone rand and the caller I.D. showed is was from the Sheriff, Mat King, and he was calling from his county issued work phone, next is a synopsis of that call –

…the Sheriff wanted to know what had happened, and I explained it to him (I found out later he had already received information via his good friend and Union President, so he was aware of the details. I explained what took place and he was upset over several things; the first (1) being why he wasn’t notified and I explained I made calls to, both the Captain and the Undersheriff (unanswered calls) but due to the nature of the arrest, that it would be a conflict of interest for him and I was keeping him from being exposed to that. Secondly, he was upset that his sister-in-law was going to have to drive all the way to Lapeer County to pick him up, and she didn’t even know where it was and thirdly, he told me to Un-F*** this and get my (his) brother out of jail; I was to call Lapeer County Jail, get the wheels turning and get him ready to be picked up because (here the Sheriff used a first name), D—- was already headed that way to get him – this was the end of the conversation.

Now, this reaction and language and “order,” to get my brother out of jail was exactly what I was trying to avoid when I elected not to call him after not getting an answer from either the Captain or the Undersheriff while at the scene of the arrest (2 hours prior). I hung up the phone but did not make the call to get his brother out of jail, the order he gave me was clear, but was not within our department policy (which he approves), using our position to obtain favor, or malfeasance, as it is written. I went inside the office, relayed the events of the night to the dayshift supervisors and left – I didn’t tell them about the phone call, the order, nor did I make that call. The Sheriff didn’t say anything about bringing his brother back here and lodging him in the jail, which would have been justifiable, the order was to Un-**** this and get my brother out of jail. I will tell you I was never spoken to about not following through with that call to Lapeer County, I was not reprimanded or disciplined, and to this day, do not know who made the call to get the release (that would be something found on the Sheriff’s county issued cell phone or through the office of the Sheriff in Lapeer County. What I can tell you is that the Breathalyzer result was posted at 2:05 a.m. at a .18 / and then 3 hours later, at 5:15 a.m., was released to an unnamed (per the FOIA from Lapeer County S.O), St. Clair County Deputy. In the report there is a supplement added seventeen days later (17) that reflects who that deputy was who made the drive and pick-up. The booking card from Lapeer County showed that the release was not to have taken place until 1 p.m., almost 8 hours.

Now the significance here is that by a matter of both simple math, which is based on science / testing / metabolism, the blood alcohol level drops at a rate of .015 per hour / at 5:15 a.m., the arrestee would still have been at .135, well over the .08 threshold of impaired driving but the key point here is that a jail cannot release a subject, once in-custody, until reaching a level of .03, so in this case, he should have (1), remained in the custody of Lapeer County until sober or, (2), if retrieved from custody, the arrest should have been continued and he be lodged at the Saint Clair County Jail until reaching the .03 BAC. There was no continuation of the custodial arrest / no booking card exists (FOIA request was made and the reply was “no such record exists). Malfeasance took place, in this case the Sheriff intervened in an arrest (of a family member (brother) who also is employed by him as a deputy).The State of Michigan defines malfeasance as a wrongful act done intentionally, the law is applicable to elected officials and carries a maximum charge of a 5-year felony – I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.

I returned to work that night, November 6, 2022, to be told the information listed above and knew had I used my position of authority to do the same thing, I would have to face a departmental internal investigation which would be a charge of malfeasance and likely would have lost my command rank, face a suspension and ultimately, this is an offense for which a Lieutenant could be fired from his job for. The Administration holds supervision accountable, supervision holds the deputies accountable but who holds the Sheriff accountable? He can’t just get his brother out of jail, approve a sloppy report that is untrue, and do so without having to be accountable to someone.

…power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts, absolutely – Lord John Acton English Politician 1887

I took a few days to think this over, do some fact checking and made a decision that if there is to be accountability, if we are to be transparent, then errors, omissions and most definitely, intentional wrong acts are to be called on the carpet – even if it is the Sheriff; as a shift supervisor, was I going to do the right thing, or just let it pass? I knew what was right and I sat down and explained to my parents what had happened, and that accountability is for everyone, not just the few, but making a report would likely be the end of my career. My parents answered with this, if doing the right thing ends your career, then so be it – if you take a shot at an elephant, you had better not miss or you’ll get stomped.

Again, I am happy to fill in the details and answer any questions, but in the element of keeping your attention, I will move forward with a timeline of events and you can read between the lines / draw your own, informed conclusion, and decide if what took place (which is not in dispute), was a violation morally, ethically, criminally as well as against the departments policies which he himself (Sheriff Mat King) needs to be governed by – hold him accountable and – cast your vote for, or against, in the 2024 election!

EVENT TIMELINE

Sunday November 6, 2022 – SCCSO report # 220041543 OWI Arrest

Tuesday November 8, 2022 – social media posting regarding the arrest / the alcohol level / the intervention into release (this date of the public release provided through an internal interview)

Wednesday November 9, 2022 – I make a decision to report the Sheriffs actions after a conversation with my parents

Thursday November 10, 2022 – call HR director and make appointment to meet the following Monday (unavailable to meet Friday)

Monday November 14, 2022 – make my report regarding the wrongful action taken by Sheriff King, to the HR director / she advised “…everyone here knows about this”

Tuesday November 15, 2022 – 24 hours after reporting to HR, I get a phone call from the Captain that he and the Undersheriff have “a few questions for me” and would like me to be in the office on Thursday November 17

Thursday November 17, 2022 – I call at about 830 a.m. and request a venue change (meeting was to be at 10am) from the Captain and I would like to meet HR office (I felt uneasy on the both the timing and the fact that 11 days after the arrest they now have “a few questions.”

At this meeting, the Undersheriff wants to know why we are here; he is upset about being brought downtown from his office; at this time, the words / questions seem to be investigatory in nature / I ask if there is an investigation open and he said there is not. But he pushes for why we are here and eventually I am forced to tell him about reporting the Sheriffs actions regarding the release from Lapeer County and felt I needed this to be held in a neutral setting with the HR director present.

Friday November 18,2022 – I get a call from HR director that after speaking with the county administrator and legal counsel, they have no authority to investigate these allegations (criminal(, they can only look into policy / county handbook and contractual complaints in regards to the Sheriff.

Wednesday November 23, 2022 – I get an email from the Captain that there IS NOW an investigation open into those involved in the arrest from seventeen (17) days prior; oddly enough, an internal is opened days after the Undersheriff finds out I reported the Sheriff’s action to HR

Thursday – Sunday Thanksgiving break with the Sheriff / Undersheriff / Captain out of the office

Monday November 28, 2022 – first interviews conducted regarding the internal investigation (# 22-11)

Wednesday November 30, 2022 – I am called in for an interview and find this is an investigation not into the OWI arrest / but rather into “who leaked the details of the arrest to social media” on November 8, 2022 with the name / blood alcohol level / fact that the Sheriff got his brother out of jail

Friday December 2, 2022 – interview conducted with an employee who was NOT part of the arrest nor even working on November6, 2022

Friday December 9, 2022 – a week later, I am told I have 36 hours (Friday 130p.m. until noon Monday December 12, 2022 to either retire or face discipline (I was to be summoned to the Sheriff’s office on Wednesday December 14, 2022 if I didn’t sign a letter to retire); of course we all know what that means and it was keep your pension and leave, or else – it was clear to both myself and the POAM Union business agent this was retaliation for making the report on the Sheriff

So draw your own conclusions / look into the details / get your own reports through FOIA / call the Sheriff and question his dedication to his constituents – ask him if he got his brother out of jail / ask him if he does this for everyone who gets arrested – of course he won’t answer you and no, he doesn’t get everyone out of jail, just his brother – committing a wrongful act intentionally. He violated department policy by using his position of authority to gain advantage / favor and as an elected official, he may have committed a crime, a 5-year felony for which he needs to be interviewed for by the press and by you – the voters

He failed you and the department when this happened; a real leader takes ownership / is transparent / self-reporting and instead, Sheriff Mat King did what Joe Biden did, he hid in his basement. Number one (1), he should have not interfered (remember the conflict of interest I tried to help him avoid) and gotten his brother out of jail (no one else gets out after only 3 hours on a High BAC charge; number two (2), the very next day, Monday November 7, 2022, he should have issued a press release and avoided the embarrassment from hearing it on social media /it seems as if he was covering up a wrongful act, and number three (3), he should have met with each of his four (4) road patrol shifts, his Detectives and the members of the Drug Task Force and communicated what happened, that we will move forward together, and affirm that the arrest and the incident was done right and that he approves of the actions that were taken – but no, he failed in his role as a leader and you should hold him accountable

I have been patient as I waited for my retirement date (January 21, 2023) to arrive; on February 8, 2023 I made a criminal report to the Third District Regional Office of the Michigan State Police and detailed the events in a taped, 2 hour meeting (I have the names of those who attended) and this report is listed as #35-1211-23 and handled by Detective / Sergeant Bryce Willoughby. I will tell you that there was no investigation done, after waiting 3 months I made a FOIA request and was shocked that there was no investigation done; no one made any phone calls / no interviews were conducted and none of my information was verified. This wasn’t pursued and I will tell you that the little bit that was typed, was not accurate; Willoughby couldn’t be bothered to investigate a felony charge being leveled against a sitting Sheriff in the State of Michigan – even the MSP, the elite agency in the state, failed to investigate – look it up / send a FOIA request and you’ll see that this was buried by the Blue Wall.

I requested a meeting once I realized that there was no police report / no investigation (which in and of itself is misconduct on behalf of the MSP), and got one with First Lieutenant Patrick Roti, who is Willoughby’s supervisor; and in that meeting, Roti compared this allegation (remember its a 5-year felony to abuse the powers the office as an elected official) to a 10 over speeding ticket; saying its wrong, but not wrong enough. Roti even said to me that I needed to remember that these (Sheriff and others) , are not “normal people,”; can you believe that – here is a MSP Supervisor telling me that they are granting special treatment because Sheriff King is not a “normal person!” We should all be offended by this type of attitude. Yes readers, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I reported a wrong, and for that, I find myself being forced into retirement by a threat made from the Sheriff and then take my case to the Michigan State Police and find out there was no investigation and they compared it to a speeding ticket; a 5-year felony for abuse of office is equal to 65 in a 55 zone is what was being inferred.

Before leaving, I asked what would happen if I threw a rock through one of the windows in the office we sat in, would you (Lt Roti) come after me in the parking lot? Or would I have to break more than one – it would be wrong to break one, but would it be wrong enough? Roti said he would take what I said from the meeting (we did have a solid, polite exchange of ideas as well), and call the Attorney Generals office and relay my position – and the Lieutenant said to me, on Tuesday June 13, 2023, “I do what I say I’m going to do;” well here I am, thirteen (13) days later and not a response from him – don’t hold your breath, because, and this is funny, you’ll turn blue, but not the right Blue

Vote people / vote at the ballot box / vote with your phone calls / vote by asking the Sheriff if he did the right thing / vote by asking the county commissioners to ask for an investigation / vote with a voice not a pencil – next time you, a family member, friend goes to jail – just have the Sheriff get you out / equal justice, right?

Retired Lieutenant Scott E. Jones