A former southwestern Michigan police detective has pleaded no contest to charges that he falsified official safety and origin inspections for salvage vehicles. Johnathan Chase, 54, of Stevensville, entered the plea to one count of misconduct in office and one count of false certification, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
Case Details
Chase previously served as a detective lieutenant with the Lincoln Township Police Department, where he was the only officer responsible for handling salvage vehicle certifications. State authorities revealed that Chase submitted multiple fraudulent inspection forms to the Michigan Department of State.
The case developed after an investigation by the Michigan State Police Southwest Commercial Auto Recovery Team, also known as SCAR. The specialized auto unit eventually referred their findings to the Attorney General’s Focused Organized Retail Crime Enforcement (FORCE) Team.
Chase is now scheduled to face sentencing on August 10 at 1:30 p.m. The proceeding will take place before Judge Arthur J. Cotter in the 2nd Circuit Court of Berrien County.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
