No. 26
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
June 25 – July 1, 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 Third Annual All
American Wayne Road
Cruise is planned for July 10
and 11 this year and will
include a drive-in movie and
a concert at the Wayne Ford
CivicLeague.
See page 4
.
The Romulus Public
Library will feature the
Unmask: Teen Reading pro-
grams this summer at 2 p.m.
onTuesdays.
See page 5.
The Rev. Thomas Belczak
has been cleared of allega-
tions of improperly using
parish funds following an
investigation by the FBI and
will return to St. Kenneth's
thisweek.
See page 3.
The
Northville
Community Foundation is
urging youngsters to bring
their decorated bikes and
their pets tomarch in the 4th
of July parade.
See page 3.
A veteran of World War II
and his wife received some
special help from Home
Depot and the Senior
Alliance thismonth.
See page 5.
Vol. 130, No. 26
Vol. 68, No. 26
Vol. 68, No. 26
Vol. 15, No. 26
Vol. 130, No. 26
Vol. 68, No. 26
Vol. 68, No. 26
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The old Thomas Gist
Academy on Dancy Street,
formerly a part of the Inkster
School District, is scheduled
to be razed by the City of
Westland.
See page 4.
Canton Township Police
have issued a caution to resi-
dents about coyotes spotted
several times recently in the
area.
See page 3.
Vol. 15, No. 24
Funeral services will take
place Saturday at New
Jerusalem
Missionary
Baptist Church in Inkster for
Jeralean Talley, who was the
oldest person in theworld.
See page 4.
Following immediately on
the heels of the announcement
of a 6.45 mill assessment to pay
a settlement for abuse by a
police officer, Inkster Treasurer
Mark Stuhldreher announced
an additional levy of .47 mills to
pay another victim.
In both court settlements, the
officer involved in the allega-
tions of mistreatment isWilliam
Melendez, who now faces crimi-
nal charges in the first incident.
The city settled the claims of
motorist Floyd Dent, 55, who
was dragged from his vehicle,
placed in a chokehold and
severely beaten by Melendez in
January, for $1,377,500 just last
month. Videotapes of that inci-
dent from the police patrol car
were released to the media and
became a national issue on the
internet. Melendez is now fac-
ing three felonies, including
misconduct in office, assault
with intent to do great bodily
harm less than murder and
assault by strangulation in that
case.
In the latest suit by plaintiff
DeShawn Acklin, the city has
settled on $100,000 in damages,
resulting in the new levy
against taxpayers. In his law-
suit, Acklin claimed that he was
handcuffed, choked and beaten
into unconsciousness by a
group of seven Inkster police
officers, includingMelendez.
Acklinwas arrested and kept
in jail for three days but never
chargedwithany offense.
Both Acklin and Dent will be
paid in installment amounts as
the new tax levies are collected,
according to a city spokesper-
son.
For an Inkster home with a
market value of $55,400, the
median value reported by the
U.S. Census Bureau, the settle-
ments will cost the property
owner an extra $191.68. That
amount is in addition to anoth-
er one-time tax facing allWayne
See
Tax,
page 4
Love is blind
Judge adopts dog
with special needs
Judge Sabrina Johnson of the 22nd
District Court in Inkster met the love of her
life this spring and the two are now insepa-
rable.
Johnson adopted Mikey, a special-needs
pug, on March 20 and the 14-pound, 2-year-
old is now a regular visitor at the courtroom
where Johnson says, he charms everyone
hemeets.
“I have seen some very tough police offi-
cers get down on their hands and knees to
pet himand play,” Johnson said. “He bright-
ens everyone's day.”
Mikey's adoption came after Johnson
saw the pup on the Michigan Pug Rescue
website where his photo and statistics had
been referred by the Michigan Humane
Society where the dog had been surren-
deredby his previous owners.
Jennifer Rowell, theDetroit shelterman-
ager for the humane society, explained that
the special-needs pug's beginnings were not
positive. She said that he suffered from
severe glaucoma which left him blind, as
well as demodex mange. The glaucoma
caused Mikey extreme pain in his eyes, and
shelter veterinarians decided that the best
course of treatment for the dog was to
remove the eyes to improve his quality of
life. After his recovery, Rowell said, officials
at the humane society opted to reach out to
one of its transfer partners, Michigan Pug
Rescue, which specializes in finding homes
for pugs and could give him the extra care
he required in a foster-home while he wait-
ed for adoption.
Johnson said she saw the pup on the pug
website and immediately applied to adopt
him.
“It was love at first sight,” she said.
After a home visit from the rescue
group, the adoption was approved and the
newly-named Mikey joined Johnson at his
new home. Johnson said
she kept him on a leash
in the house at first as he
quickly adjusted to the
newsurroundings. “I took
him around about three
times, and he knows
where the furniture is,
where the couch is,
where the coffee table is,
where my bed is,” she
said. She said she had
heard about the “map-
ping” ability dogs have,
and Mikey proved it to be
true.
He may have a few
problems in a new envi-
ronment, but he learns very quickly,
Johnson added. “He gets around without
any problems”, she said, and always keeps a
positive attitude. “Sometimes when we're
walking in the park, he'll get going and run
into a tree. He simply backs up, shakes it off
and keeps moving. He really has taught me
about how to live life.”
Johnson said that she would encourage
people to adopt rescue dogs and that it was
obvious that Mikey had a very good foster
home. She said she got a great deal of sup-
port from the rescue group in learning how
tomanageMikey's special needs.
“He loves to run, eat, relax andwe play a
great game of tug of war,” she said.
“I rescued him, but really, he rescued
me,” Johnson said. “He is the love of my
life.”
Ryan McTigue of the humane society
said the two are incredible to be around
and that staff members' faces hurt from
smiling so much being around the pair
when they shot a YouTube video for the
humane society. Watch Johnson andMikey's
story at:
...the settlements will
cost the property owner
an extra $191.68
”
Police abuse causes second tax hike
The new Director of Parks
and Grants in Plymouth
Township claims to know little
about the controversy sur-
rounding what will be one of
hismain responsibilities.
Mike Mitchell, who acted as
legislative director for
Township Supervisor Shannon
Price during his tenure on the
Wayne County Commission,
was formerly named as the
successful candidate for the
$60,000 newly-created parks
position at the meeting of the
board of trustees last week.
Mitchell, 45, said he expects
to begin his new responsibili-
ties Sept. 22.
Mitchell has a PhD in
Molecular Cyogenetics, a mas-
ters degree in human genetics
and bachelors degrees in
chemistry and biology. He is a
1986 graduate of Wayne
Memorial High School and
worked for Ford Motor Co. for
17 years in paint development.
He lists his current employ-
ment on his resume as a
Cytogentic Consultant with
Teva
Pharmaceutical
Industries LTD and as the
LegislativeDirector for current
Wayne County Commissioner
Joe Barone, who was appoint-
ed to fill the remainder of
Price's unexpired term when
he was appointed to the super-
visor's job inApril.
Mitchell said that he didn't
know much about the contro-
versy surrounding the planned
amphitheater, pavilion and
parking lot in the township
park.
“I think the people who are
the most affected should have
the loudest voice,” he said
about the planned construction
which has been the subject of
much criticism by nearby resi-
dents. All township parks and
facilities will be under
Mitchell's management and
direction when he assumes his
newrolewith the township.
“I don't think the idea is to
have hard rock there (in the
amphitheater) but I really don't
know,” he said.
Mitchell said that he hopes
to bring leadership and the
opportunity for residents to
participate in decisions to the
new job.
“If I could bring some sort of
leadership, letting people be
part of the process,” he said.
Don Howard
Staff Writer
See
Job,
page 3
I think the people who are
the most affected should
have the loudest voice.
”
Supervisor’s ex-aide is new township director
Judge Sabrina Johnson of the 22nd District Court adopted
the love of her life in March and she and Mikey are now
almost inseparable.
