State Police lieutenant arraigned on 24 charges, including operating criminal enterprise

UPDATE: A Michigan State Police Lieutenant has been arraigned on 24 charges, including embezzlement, conducting a criminal enterprise, possession of prescription drugs and failure to file taxes.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

Action News has learned exclusively that Michigan State Police are seeking criminal charges against one of their own ranking officers. It's the result of a two-year long investigation and the man in the cross hairs is a lieutenant who once ran a narcotics task force. This case made a splash back in 2008 when this police lieutenant was removed from his job. But investigators put a lid on information and the story quickly vanished from the headlines.

The case involves a state cop suspected of crossing over to the dark side, and the chickens may be coming home to roost. Luke Davis is a lieutenant with the Michigan State Police. For the last two years he's been the target of a criminal probe, suspended with full pay. He’s been earning $70,000 a year and not doing a lick of work.

Once highly respected, this high ranking cop had a sudden and surprising fall from grace. In December of 2008, acting on a tip,
investigators from Lt. Davis' own department raided his home in Monroe.

The case has been shrouded in secrecy ever since. State police have never revealed what they were investigating or what they snatched from Luke Davis' home. But the Action News Investigators are about to blow the lid off, and we've learned the criminal case is about to come to a head.

“I understand they're requesting a warrant and I just wanted to talk to you about it and try to get your side of it,” said Action News Investigator Scott Lewis when he met Davis outside his home last week.

“I'm not guilty of anything bro,” responded Davis.

“You didn't do anything wrong?” asked Lewis.

“No, I didn't. So, I don't know what's going on exactly. They won't tell me. All I know is you can talk to my attorney,” responded Davis.

Until he was suspended , Luke Davis was in charge of a downriver drug task force called OMNI, Office of Monroe Narcotics Investigations. It was an undercover unit with officers from several departments , operating out of a non-descript house on South Telegraph Road. Working along the I-75 corridor, a big smuggling route for drugs coming into Metro Detroit, OMNI made some big scores. One bust netted nearly a million dollars in high grade pot being smuggled in a truckload of lettuce.

They also suspect that property confiscated from dope dealers was stolen. And that brings us back to that December raid of Luke Davis' Monroe home. Action News has learned that state police confiscated steroids and prescription drugs. Just a few months ago police raided this duplex in Monroe owned by Lt. Davis.

They took a big screen TV, electronic equipment and DVD's believed to have been seized in prior drug raids. Sources say some of the DVDs had the names of people who had been raided by the OMNI drug task force. The same day, state police executed a search warrant at a Monroe marina and seized a speedboat that had been awarded to Davis' wife in a divorce settlement. Police suspect that too had been seized in a prior drug raid.

“Do you know if they took steroids and pills out of your house when they did that raid,” asked Lewis of Davis.

“You can talk to my attorney about that, okay,” he responded.

“But you weren't stealing any property that was confiscated in drug raids,” asked Lewis.

“You can talk to my attorney about everything. I'm not guilty of anything,” said Davis.

After Lt. Davis was suspended in 2008, the OMNI drug task force was renamed and moved out of its original location. It's not clear why the investigation dragged on for two years. State police say suspending Davis with full pay is standard under civil service rules for cops suspected of wrongdoing, but not charged with a crime. State police spokeswoman Shannon Banner wouldn't comment on specifics of the case except to say it's an ongoing investigation and she hopes they are close to wrapping it up.

Action News has learned from other sources that state police investigators have requested a warrant from the Attorney General's office charging Lt. Davis with several felony counts. And a decision on whether to charge Davis could come any day now.

The allegations against Davis are troubling but the case also raises questions about state police supervision. If drugs and confiscated property were disappearing as investigators suspect, why didn't Davis’ supervisors know about until cops received a tip? Where were the checks and balances? Other may need to be held accountable.

If you have a tip for the Action News Investigative Team, contact us at  tips@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.