Friday, July 25, 2014

Hmmmm---------No criminal charges filed against Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler, prosecutor rules

No criminal charges filed against Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler, prosecutor rules | MLive.com: ""To prove any criminal charge, allegations of wrongdoing must be proven by the high standard of beyond a reasonable doubt. It is fundamental that people accused of a crime are innocent until proven guilty by this high standard. In making his decision, Prosecutor Lloyd considered allegations that, between 2007 and 2011, Sheriff Roesler withdrew money ranging from $40 to $500 from the golf outing's bank account, and used that money for personal expenses unrelated to the charity."

The statement goes on to say that Roesler made statements that the withdrawals were considered bank errors and "customer confusion."

"The investigation showed that the charitable account was set up as a subaccount to his personal bank account, earmarked for the golf outing. Sheriff Roesler contends that the withdrawals in question resulted from bank errors, or customer confusion between the various subaccounts. After the investigation began, Sheriff Roesler returned all funds that were improperly withdrawn and has removed himself from control over and access to the charitable account," the statement said.

"Since the complaint spans several years, only three of the withdrawals in question, totaling under $400 would not be barred by the statute of limitations. Additionally, because of the passage of time, certain documents, including withdrawal signature slips, have been lost. Consequently, based upon the information available, the evidence did not allow the People to disprove bank error or other mistake. Therefore, because the prosecution has the burden of proof, no criminal charges are warranted.

"While money donated to the Muskegon County Sheriff's Office Memorial Charity Golf Outing may have been diverted to non-charitable use, it appears that those funds have been returned. This charity remains a viable means to support worthy causes in the Muskegon community.""

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