(WWJ) Shock, outrage, disbelief, indignation and at times utter disgust. Reactions to these stories ran the gamut.
Here's a look at ten of the biggest scandals that rocked metro Detroit in 2019:
PORN BILLBOARD: One otherwise unremarkable night in September, 9-1-1 calls came pouring in from stunned drivers after someone played a pornographic video on a billboard along I-75, south of M-59, in Oakland County. Auburn Hills police released a photo of two suspects who scaled a 6-foot fence and broke into a shed housing to access the controls... but no arrests in the outlandish case have been announced to date.
UAW CORRUPTION: The United Auto Workers union has a new president in place as it wraps up a year steeped in scandal. More than a dozen people with ties to the UAW — including some in leadership roles — have been charged in a wide-ranging federal corruption investigation. Eight pleaded guilty, including the widow of a union VP. Current leaders now vow to tighten financial controls, ban contributions from employers and vendors to charities run by its officers, and hire an ethics officer as they work to pick up the pieces.
THE GOLDEN RING: Officially, it's The Halo. Unofficially, it's *you know what*. The city of Sterling Heights received more than 3,000 suggestions when it asked the public to name a 35-foot circular structure erected in the Hall Road median as part of a "Golden Corridor" branding effort. While the massive monument inspired scads of amusing memes, taxpayers balked at the cost — $339,350 for the ring and signage — complaining the cash would have been better spent on just about anything else.
FREE HEALTH CARE: A lovely parting gift, or flat out malfeasance? It raised more than a few eyebrows, and taxpayers' ire, when outgoing Warren city council members in voted to give themselves free health care coverage for life. Mayor Jim Fouts, who'd apparently missed his window to veto, was incensed — calling the move "an unconscionable action beyond (his) wildest imagination." He's vowed it will not take effect.
DETROIT MAYOR, MONEY & SEX: "It gives Detroit another black eye." He hasn't been charged with a crime, but the Mayor of Detroit did not get through the year without scandal. There was a raid after emails were deleted in connection with the city's controversial dealings with the nonprofit Make Your Date. In summary, it was alleged that married Mayor Mike Duggan gave preferential treatment and cash to the program run by a woman with whom he was romantically linked. In May, the mayor and his wife filed for divorce.
HEALTH CARE FRAUD: “The abuse of our healthcare programs affects all taxpayers, who foot the bill." Medicare fraud charges were filed in federal court in September against 20 health care professionals, including some doctors, from all over the metro Detroit area. The feds allege schemes involving billing for medically unnecessary procedures, care never provided and prescriptions meds that were never received by patients. The government said the criminal activity made the defendants money in the millions.
TAYLOR FBI PROBE: The mayor of Taylor has been indicted on bribery and wire fraud charges, following a public corruption investigation by the FBI. Richard "Rick" Sollars stands accused of helping a co-defendant, developer Shady Awad, obtain city-owned tax foreclosed property in exchange for cash, free work on both of his houses, along with other perks. Sollars was arraigned on Dec. 19, ten months after the FBI raided his homes and Taylor City Hall. Free on bond and maintaining his innocence, he could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
COPS, SNAPCHAT, DISGRACE: A Detroit police officer was fired over a "racially insensitive" social media post that went viral. Police Chief James Craig said 11 allegations were sustained against Cpl. Gary Steele leading to the termination of the 18-year veteran. In January, Steele shot and shared video of a woman he'd pulled over as she was forced to walk home alone in the snow. He included the captions: “What black girl magic looks like” and “celebrating Black History Month." The chief said Steele, of Detroit’s 6th Precinct, betrayed the trust between the DPD and the community.
SOUTHFIELD ELECTION FRAUD: “Our elections are the foundation of our democracy." The Southfield City Clerk faced six felony counts for falsifying election returns and other alleged crimes. While prosecutors assure the public the final official vote total was accurate, they said discrepancies — allegedly the result of shady activities — were uncovered by the Oakland County Clerk’s office while it worked to certify Southfield’s absentee ballots for the Nov. 6, 2018, general election. Sherikia Hawkins, who previously served as city clerk in Pontiac, was arrested in September after a State Police said an investigation found she was the culprit.