WARREN (WWJ) - Warren Police have asked the Macomb County Prosecutor for two warrants against former County Clerk Karen Spranger.
One of the warrants is a felony for embezzlement, and the other is a misdemeanor for domestic violence.
Spranger was allegedly a caregiver for a 78-year-old Warren woman who claims she was assaulted. Police were called to victim's apartment on Tuesday night, where the victim said Spranger threw her to the ground. The victim further told police that over the course of several months, Spranger allegedly stole about $1,800 from her and improperly used her debit card.
"The suspect had reached out to her some time in October of last year and had offered to help with shopping, errands and other day-to-day needs," Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer told WWJ's Sandra McNeill. "The suspect was hollering at her, belittling her, threatening her. It's an open investigation and we just have to see where it goes."
Prosecutor Eric Smith will now determine if there's enough evidence to issue the warrants.
Spranger was ousted from her position as Macomb County Clerk last year after it was discovered she lied about her residency on the documents she filed to run for office.
Spranger, who was elected in 2016 and took office in 2017, lasted only a couple months before being removed from office. She was also accused last spring of kicking an employee.
According to County Chief Executive Mark Deldin, an employee at the Circuit Court building in Mt. Clemens reported that she was kicked by Spranger immediately after complaining to her supervisor about being harassed and threatened by the clerk.
"As the employee was exiting her immediate supervisor's office, Ms. Spranger tried to barge in through the doorway," Deldin told WWJ last March. "And as she was shutting the door, Ms. Spranger -- as if she was trying to put her foot or her leg in the doorway to avoid it being closed -- she kicked the employee in the process."
