News

Actions

Employee files whistleblower suit against Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith

Posted at 11:58 PM, Jul 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-25 23:58:06-04

Robert Churchran is blowing the whistle on his employer-- the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office.

Two years ago Churchran was put in charge of the office's LEIN system and he was determined to follow state and federal laws for its use.

LEIN is the Law Enforcement Information Network-- a database that can only accessed for criminal investigations.

He soon discovered the office had other intentions for LEIN.

Concerned about numerous violations of the law, Churchran complained to Prosecutor Eric Smith and others verbally and in writing. But he was told no changes would be made and he says he was then quickly demoted without explanation.

Things got worse, after Churchran shared this Facebook post. It shows the Minions cartoon characters underneath the words "my doctor told me to start killing people" (to relieve stress).

"The post came from Eric Smith's sister and then it was liked and reposted by his wife," his attorney Deborah Gordon told 7 Action News.

For that reason, Churchran thought the post was okay.

Gordon says her client has become a pariah. His desk was moved to a windowless storage room. He's not allowed to socialize with other employees or leave his desk without prior approval from a supervisor - a virtual prisoner who's committed no crime.

"He went from being a highly respected officer to really being laughed at in the office or felt sorry for," Gordon says. “All because he wanted to dot the I's and cross the T's when it came to his role as the LEIN officer."

We tried to contact Prosecutor Smith, but our calls were not returned.