?Sheriff's Office Aircraft Was Used To Disperse A Car Show Crowd

A lawsuit stemming from the use of an Oakland County, MI, sheriff's helicopter to disperse a crowd during a car show has become an issue in the local election for Sheriff. The challenger, Democrat Jane Bordueau, issued a series of news releases over the weekend publicizing the suit in her bid to unseat the incumbent Sheriff, Republican Michael Bouchard.

The suit claims that a pilot, acting under Bouchard's orders, flew below the FAA minimum altitude in order to scatter a crowd during the Woodward Dream Cruise car show on August 18th. The Bloomfield-Bloomfield Hills Patch online news site reports that the plaintiff, Terry McIninch, said his two children were injured by the debris kicked up by the aircraft's rotor wash. He also said the flying debris damaged his classic car and motor home.

The aircraft was dispatched after two large fights reportedly broke out after the car show ended, according to the newspaper the Oakland Press. Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe said that the assertion that the helicopter flew as low as 50 feet over the crowd was "an out-and-out lie." He said the timing of the suit is "very suspect," but the plaintiff's attorney Michael Korman said there was noting political about the timing of the suit. He said the sheriff's office had plenty of time to make amends to his client, but had not done so. McCabe said Korman had often attacked the Sheriff's office, and had represented many medical marijuana clients in criminal cases.

The pilot has reportedly been grounded since the incident occurred. In a prepared statement, challenger Boudreau said that the responsibility should not rest solely with the aircrew. She said "their behavior/reaction was more endemic to a Sheriff's Office that is without leadership."

FMI: www.oakgov.com/clerkrod/elections