No. 33
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
August 13 – 19, 2015
w w w . a s s o c i a t e d n e w s p a p e r s . n e t
The Wayne Community
Center will open under new
management next week with
some renovations and new
equipment.
See page 6.
Francisco Viola, owner of
Plymouth based VersaTrans
is criticizing Plymouth
Township Treasurer Ron
Edwards handling of a tax
refundduehim.
See page 7.
Voters in the City of
Northville soundly rejected
a millage proposal to fund
road repairs in the commu-
nity last week.
See page 7.
Voters in the Van Buren
Public Schools will be asked
to approve a sinking fund
millage of one-half a mill on
theNov. 3 ballot.
See page 5.
Vol. 130, No. 33
Vol. 68, No. 33
Vol. 68, No. 33
Vol. 15, No. 33
It will take until the end of
the year to complete the
installation of 2,700 solar
panels at a new DTE project
onCitrinDrive inRomulus.
See page 5.
Vol. 130, No. 33
Vol. 68, No. 33
Vol. 68, No. 33
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Former Michigan State
Rep. and Wayne County
Commissioner Richard
LeBlanc won 75 percent of
the votes during the primary
election for the office of city
clerk last week.
See page 4.
Entries for the 23rd
Annual Canton Fine Arts
Exhibition scheduled for
Oct. 2 through 31 at The
Village Theater will only be
accepted throughAug. 24.
See page 3.
Vol. 15, No. 24
Inkster voters from dis-
tricts 2 and 3 chose candi-
dates to move on to the Nov.
3 general election for 4-year
terms on the city council.
See page 6.
William Riley III was sworn
in Monday morning as the new
Inkster Chief of Police.
Riley will take over from
Joseph Thomas, the former
Southfield Police Chief, who
agreed to serve as interim chief
in May after former Police
Chief Vickie Yost resigned. Yost
tendered her resignation April
22, just days after criminal
charges were filed against Ofc.
William Melendez as the result
of the beating of a motorist in a
January traffic stop.
Thomas said when he
accepted the job that it would
be temporary as he helped the
city find a permanent chief.
Riley comes to the depart-
ment from Selma, AL where he
has served as chief of police
since 2008. In that department,
he managed 55 officers and 46
civilian employees, according
to his resume. He worked his
way through the department
starting as a patrolman in the
Newport
News
Police
Department where he had
earned the rank of captain
before accepting the job as
chief in Selma seven years ago.
He served in the U.S. Navy and
Naval reserves from 1997 until
2003.
Riley earned his bachelor of
arts degree in political science
from St. Paul's College in
Lawrenceville, VA in 1984 and
has completed various police
management and tactics cours-
es throughout his career. While
chief in Selma, he reorganized
the departments to include spe-
cial units for narcotics, internal
affairs, a K-9 unit, a bicycle
patrol unit, a crime response
team and a community rela-
tions unit, according to his
resume.
He was responsible for the
administration of a $4.3 million
budget inSelma.
The videotaped beating of
Floyd Dent by Inkster officers
in January became an internet
sensation and all charges
against Dent were dropped by
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym
Worthy when the tape became
public. Inkster 22nd District
Court Judge Sabrina Johnson
dismissed some of the charges
when she initially viewed the
tape.
Two other officers in the
department were suspended as
part of the case, Yost resigned
and Melendez, seen on the tape
beating Dent about the head
with his closed fist while hold-
ing him down, is facing trial on
assault charges in October.
Melendez was immediately
fired from the police force in
Inkster and during his arraign-
ment on the charges, several
officers from the department
sat in the courtroom, demon-
strating their support of him
while others have criticized his
conduct.
Inkster swears in new police chief
Blues, Brews and Barbeque in Westland
The whistleblower lawsuit
filed by former police officer
Brian Schaefer against
Plymouth Township and Police
Chief Thomas Tiderington is
not over, according Royal Oak
attorney Mike Stefani who has
filed an appeal of the summary
judgment favoring the town-
ship.
Tiderington fired Sgt. Brian
Schaefer in the midst of a
departmental sex scandal and
charged Schaefer with conduct
unbecoming an officer, leaving
his post while on duty, negli-
gence, inattention to duty and
insubordination. Schaefer sub-
sequentlywas placed on admin-
istrative leave and twice told by
Tiderington that his resignation
would be accepted. Schaefer
rejected both offers to resign
his employment.
Schaefer was subsequently
terminated in December of
2013 and claims in his legal fil-
ings that the conduct for which
he was charged either did not
violate departmental regula-
tions or was behavior which
was openly accepted or regular-
ly overlooked by the depart-
ment.
Stefani, in an exclusive inter-
view with The Eagle, said he
was reasonably confident the
lower court ruling would be
reversed and expects the case
to beheardwithin a year.
“It was dismissed on a
motion for summary judg-
ment…We feel the judge made
a pretty grievous error,” said
Stefani referring to the May 8,
ruling of Circuit Court Judge
Daniel Ryan who dismissed
Schaefer's claims against the
township and Tiderington dur-
ing amotion call.
“In our opinion the evidence
existed that Schaefer was ter-
minated from his employment
because he gave a township
attorney answers in another
lawsuit that negatively affected
the police chief. They believed
his testimonywouldnot be good
for the township,” Stefani said.
Stefani, adamant about the rul-
Restaurants are lining up
to participate in Blues, Brews
and Barbeque the premier
event in Westland planned for
tomorrow and Saturday, Aug.
14 and 15.
Blues,
Brews
and
Barbeque will feature several
talented local Blues bands, All
American barbeque cuisine
from area restaurants and
Michigan craft beers.
Joining crowd favorites like
Famous Dave's and Texas
Roadhouse are newcomers
Hammon's Kitchen featuring
organic, gluten free and raw
food choices, Detroit Mini
Donut and Heavenly Hot Dog.
Restaurants scheduled to
return also include Beaver
Creek, Knox Catering, Max &
Erma's, Biggby Coffee and
Kona Ice. Always a hit with
the crowd, Ashley's Beer &
Grill will offer attendees a
wide variety of Michigan
craftedbeers.
Once again headlining the
two-day event is the Soul Men,
a Blues Brothers tribute band.
Soul Men drew raves last year
from their steadfast following
of fans and from those who
heard them for the first time.
The line-up features the
Alligators,
the
Boa
Constrictors, Broken Arrow,
Dirty Basement Blues, the
Front Street Blues Band and
theRandyBrockGroup.
“Blues, Brews and
Barbeque will be better than
ever,” said Mayor William R.
Wild. “In addition to being a
fun way to spend an August
weekend, the goal of the event
is the fundraising generated
through food, beverage and
swag sales that will benefit a
number of Westland charities
including theGoodfellows, the
Salvation Army, the Westland
Community Foundation and
the Westland Historical
Society. Other than covering
expenses, all funds raised are
given to charity to be put back
into the community,” Wild
continued.
This year, there will be an
All American Barbecue
Throw Down scheduled to
take place during the event.
Hours this year, sponsored by
the City of Westland and the
Chamber of Commerce, are
from 6-9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug.
14 and from noon until 9:30
p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15.
Prizes will be awarded to
the best of each BBQ catego-
ry; Chicken, Ribs, Pork and
Brisket in the throw down.
Cooks must enter in all four
categories to qualify for the
overall championprize.
Entertainment at the event
this yearwill include theDirty
Basement Blues from 6-7:30
p.m. Aug. 14. The Randy
Brock Group will entertain
from8-9:30 p.m. onFriday.
On Saturday, from noon
until 1:30 p.m. The Front
Street Blues Band will enter-
tain and from 2-3:30 p.m. the
Alligators will perform.
Broken Arrow will take to the
stage from 4-5:30 p.m. and
from 6 until 7:30, Boa
Constrictorswill play.
From 8-9:30 p.m. the Soul
Menwill perform.
See
Suit,
page 2
They believed
his testimony would not
be good for the township.
”
Appeal filed in police whistleblower lawsuit
William Riley III
Soul Men
Randy Brock Group
