Detroiters slapped with prostitution, narcotics misdemeanors say they were victimized by DPD

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Michael Tonon was just doing his job.

The energy company employee had been dispatched to the corner of Remington and Charleston—a desolate area of Detroit, to be sure—to check for downed power lights.

But after surveying the scene, Tonon caught the attention of a Detroit police officer who wondered what the 42-year old Troy resident was doing in this rougher part of the city.

“Didn’t I tell you there’s drugs and prostitutes (around here?),'” Tonon recalls being asked.

“I said, ‘You want to search my vehicle? There’s no drugs or prostitutes in here,” he responded.

The officer wondered if Tonon was really there for work, so Tonon instructed him to call his employer. He did, and the company confirmed they'd sent him there.

The cop still seemed skeptical.

Tonon left the scene with a ticket for loitering in a place known for prostitution and narcotics, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

“Oh my God,’” he said as read the ticket.

Tonon worried about having to tell his girlfriend what he’d just been ticketed for.

“When the person has legitimate claims to being where they are, you don’t have to enforce the law on them,” he said.

“They’re not breaking the law!”

Tonon’s story is not unique. In fact, about two dozen citizens from inside and outside Detroit are complaining about the same kind of treatment. They were ticketed for loitering in a place of illegal occupation and, like Tonon, the misdemeanors were later tossed in court.

In many cases, the officer never even showed up to testify.

“They’re criminalizing non-criminal behavior,” said Southfield attorney Daniel Romano, who represents about 20 people suing the city for what they call bogus misdemeanors.

“It’s a numbers game certainly,” he said.

“For every 20 people that get a ticket, maybe two will challenge it, because they’re scared...and those are the people they tend to be victimizing,” he said.

From sitting on their porch to driving their vehicle, local residents have been slapped with serious loitering violations throughout Detroit. Monday at 11PM, the 7 Action News Investigators dig deep into what many are calling a money grab that’s targeting the innocent.