By Jackie Harrison-Martin
The News-Herald
DETROIT — Several weeks prior
to going on trial for numerous charges in a corruption case, a former Romulus
police chief has pleaded guilty.
Michael St. Andre was set to go
on trial next month, but pleaded guilty to racketeering, embezzlement and
misconduct charges Wednesday in Wayne County Circuit Court.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 17
before Judge Michael Hathaway.
St. Andre’s wife, Sandra Kay
Vlaz St. Andre, also faced charges stemming from the corruption case and was
convicted in a jury trial in February.
She was convicted of
acquiring/maintaining a criminal enterprise and criminal enterprise-conspiracy,
failure to file taxes/false return and receiving and concealing stolen
property.
She was sentenced to 7 to 20
years.
Former detectives Richard Allan
Balzer, Richard Bruce Landry, Donald Ralph Hopkins, Jeremy James Channells and
Larry Droege, also were charged in the case.
Droege was found guilty of
misconduct in office and neglect of duty and Channells was found guilty of two
counts of misconduct in office and neglect of duty in early March.
Trials for the remaining
officers are set to take place in August.
It is alleged that between January 2006 and
September 2011 each repeatedly made, or assisted others in making, material
misrepresentations of fact in connection with expense reports they submitted in
an effort to seek improper reimbursement; created fraudulent documents to
support improper expenditures of drug forfeiture funds; obstructed justice;
made false statements in police reports; and ultimately misused Romulus funds
for their own personal gain.
Prosecutors said the drug
forfeiture money was used to buy a tanning salon for Sandra Kay Vlaz St. Andre,
as well as pay for prostitutes, marijuana and alcohol.