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No. 11
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
March 13 – 19, 2014
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 Parks and
Recreation Foundation is cur-
rently accepting applications
for two scholarships offered
annually.
See page 5.
Downtown Romulus will
have a significantly different
look by the end of the year due
to several projects that will
improve city streets and side-
walks.
See page 4.
Plymouth Community
United Way is looking for vol-
unteers to clean yards and do
light chores on Saturday, April
26 duringRake-N-Go.
See page 3.
March is maple-sugaring
month in Michigan and Wayne
County Parks has a sweet
Saturday program available
March 15 and 22
See page 3.
The City of Belleville budg-
et is on sound financial ground
according to PlanteMoran, the
independent
financial
accounting firmfor the city.
See page 4.
Vol. 129, No. 11
Vol. 67, No. 11
Vol. 67, No. 11
Vol. 14, No. 11
Vol. 129, No. 11
Vol. 67, No. 11
Vol. 67, No. 11
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Wayne Westland fire inves-
tigators have not yet deter-
mined the cause of a fire at the
Village Place Coney Island last
week.
See page 5.
Students in Plymouth
Canton schools exceeded state
averages in every section of
the
MEAP
(Michigan
Educational Assessment
Program) testing
See page 2.
Vol. 14, No. 11
The recommendation to the State Liquor
Control Commission by the City of Plymouth
will include all 24 or the current license hold-
ers.
Included will be The Penn Grill, which was
inadvertently reported last week to have been
the site of a drug arrest. The drug arrest cited
took place at Fiamma, a restaurant on Main
Street, and involved a patron with 16 grams of
cocaine and considerable drug paraphernalia
who was arrested for drug trafficking. The
account was presented at a meeting of the
Liquor License Review Committee by Police
Chief Al Cox. The Penn Grill was mistakenly
reported by
The Eagle
as the establishment
where the arrest took place rather than
Fiamma.
The Eagle
sincerely regrets the error
and any confusion it may have caused. The
Penn Grill and 336Mainwill remain on a quar-
terly review status by the committee following
other reported incidents at those locations.
Penn Grill owner Billy Farwell said he was
concerned about the error as is strongly
opposed to drugs on a personal and profession-
al level.
“Drugs are something we simply won't toler-
ate,” he said.
Following the meeting last week, members
of the city commission were unwilling to rec-
ommend the renewal of the license at
Plymouth Crossing due to a $57,000 arrearage
in taxes and water bills. According to City
Manager Paul Sincock, all those fees have been
paid andPlymouthCrossing is “up to date” and
will also be recommended to the state for a
renewal of the liquor license.
“They had up to today (Monday) and it is
paid,” Sincock saidby phone.
In a letter to the review commission,
Sincock stated that the “City Administration
DOES NOT recommend any increase in the
number of liquor licenses for theCity.”
“Our police department often has to aban-
don patrols the (sic) residential areas of the
City and limit their activity related to traffic
enforcement due to them (sic) responding to
alcohol related incidents.”
Sincock also cited the resultant higher costs
in the involvement of the fire department in
alcohol-related incidents, the significant
amount of administrative time and police fol-
low up involved and that “Municipal Services
often has to respond to 'clean up' after an inci-
dent. He also cited “stresses on a limited
municipal parking system.”
“The proposed resolution would recom-
mend to the City Commission staying at the
current 24 liquor licenses,” Sincock said in his
letter to members of the Liquor License
ReviewCommittee.
Drugs are something
we simply won't tolerate.
Billy Farwell
”
All 24 Plymouth liquor licenses approved
March is reading month
and Youth Services Librarian
Angela Scott at the Leanna
Hicks Public Library in
Inkster said there is a lot going
on at the facility thismonth.
See page 5.
Following the out-of-court cash
settlement of a discrimination law-
suit with one police officer, the ser-
geant whowas her former supervi-
sor has filed a Whistleblower law-
suit against Plymouth Township
andPoliceChief TomTiderington.
Township attorneys reached an
out-of-court settlement with for-
mer officer Brittany DeFrain who
charged discrimination when her
probationary periodwas extended
byTideringtonbased, she claimed,
solely on her romantic involve-
ment with another officer.
DeFrain resigned and subsequent-
ly filed suit which was settled out
of court witha $50,000 payment.
In his suit, former Sgt. Brian
Schaefer, who was DeFrain's
immediate supervisor, claims
Tiderington and the township as
his employer, took retaliatory
action against him following a pre-
deposition meeting with township
attorneys regardingDeFrain's suit.
Schaefer claims he was
ordered to answer questions dur-
ing the Aug. 8, 2013 meeting and
“candidly stated that Tiderington's
decision to extend (DeFrain's) pro-
bationary period was contrary to
established Field Training Officer
procedures.”
Schaefer was the supervisor of
the Field Training Officer pro-
gram. He was hired in the town-
ship in 1998 and promoted to ser-
Former Romulus Police detec-
tives Larry Droege and Jeremy
Channells were found guilty of all
charges last Friday by Wayne
County Circuit Court jurors.
Droege was found guilty of mis-
conduct in office and neglect of
duty. Channells was found guilty of
two counts of misconduct in office
and neglect of duty. The miscon-
duct in office charge carries amax-
imum penalty of 5 years imprison-
ment and the neglect of duty
charge carries a maximum of 1
year imprisonment.
The twowill face JudgeMichael
Hathaway March 31 for sentenc-
ing.
The charges stemmed from a 3-
year investigation into corruption
in theRomulus PoliceDepartment
by the FBI, the Michigan State
Police and the office of the Wayne
County Prosecutor.
Prosecutors allege that former
Chief Michael St. Andre directed
an investigation into violations of
Michigan Liquor Control
Commission laws regarding prosti-
tution and narcotics trafficking at
DeFrain resigned and subsequently filed suit
which was settled out of court with a $50,000 payment.
”
Plymouth Township faces Whistleblower lawsuit
See
Suit,
page 2
See
Cops,
page 4
Two weeks ago, Charlie White and Meryl
Davis made history at the Sochi Olympics.
Sunday, they shared that history with a
packed house of fans, friends and Canton
Township leaders at the Village Theater at
CherryHill.
The couple, first to earn a gold medal in
ice dancing in U.S. history, spoke to an
engaged crowd about everything from train-
ing at the Arctic Edge Arena in Canton to the
Olympic experience itself, to meeting Bill
Murray at an Oscar Awards party and their
upcoming appearance on Dancing with the
Stars.
“It's somuch fun to be back in the area that
we've trained in for so long,” said Davis. “The
whole Canton community has been so incred-
ibly supportive. We don't just feel it here in
this room. We felt it when we were in Sochi,
we've felt it for years-well before we were
Olympic champions. Getting a chance to
come back here and celebrate with the peo-
ple who have been part of our journey has
been very exciting.”
That journey started nearly two decades
ago, when the pair first started to train togeth-
er 17 years ago. Under the guidance of leg-
endary Coach Marina Zoueva, the pair
worked tirelessly toward their goal and set
out to represent their country in what White
called 'the hardest Olympic event.' Despite the
training, White said the venuewas a bit intim-
idating.
“We were nervous every time we took the
ice,” he said. “We had to skate last in every
event and there was plenty of time to think
about everything and you just want to hit the
ice.
“But once you hit the ice, that's when it all
takes over,” he added. “The questions, the
insecurities, being nervous-that all happens
when you're waiting. It's just a waiting game.
Oncewe hit the ice, we just felt comfortable.”
They must have. Davis and White set a
short program record for the highest score
Gold Medalist Charlie
White, Olympic coach
Marina Zoueva and
Meryl Davis shared their
Olympic experiences
with fans at the Village
Theater in Canton last
week. White and Davis,
above, are the first U.S.
gold medal ists ice
dancers in history
See
Gold,
page 3
Pure gold
Ice dancers return to
Canton for celebration
Former Romulus detectives found guilty by jurors