Officer Disciplined After Investigation of Traffic Stop

A officer who gave the township supervisor and her husband a ride home after a late night traffic stop has been disciplined, Chief Michael Patton said Monday.

An internal investigation found the officer, who Patton would not identify other than to say is a three-year WBPD veteran with a “good record,” violated department policies during a  around 2:20 a.m. Aug. 13 at Green Lake and Richardson roads.

Patton would not reveal the disciplinary action taken against the officer, who remains on the job.

Matthew Ureste, the husband of Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste, was pulled over for running a red light with his wife in the passenger seat. The officer said he smelled alcohol and the driver admitted to drinking before going home from a Kid Rock concert in Detroit, Patton said.

The driver was given a preliminary breath test, and blew over the legal limit of .08, Patton said. They were then driven home rather than to the police station where a more precise test could have been administered.

Matthew Ureste said he and his wife were "responsible" at the concert and fatigued after days of caring for their children, one of whom had gotten stitches for an injury and the other treated for asthma. An increased police presence at the intersection was due to an attempted breaking and entering situation, Ureste added, and the traffic stop was "minor" and "routine."

No tickets were written. Patton said that an investigation began Aug. 22 when he found out about the incident and the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office was asked to determine if a ticket could still be given. Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said there is not sufficient evidence to prosecute Matthew Ureste for operating while intoxicated, nor was the officer guilty of criminal action.

The chief said that as part of the investigation, the officer also was disciplined for not reporting his malfunctioning dashboard video camera in a timely manner. “It was malfunctioning prior to the traffic stop; the systems aren’t perfect,” Patton said. “The fact that the officer did not notice that on a timely basis or correct it on his shift, that was part of the review also.”

Matthew Ureste criticized the dashcam video, broadcast on WDIV-TV on Aug. 24, for being incomplete, lacking sound and "manipulated."

“If the equipment was working, I'd be vindicated," Ureste said Monday. “You would’ve heard the justification for a ride home: My wife and I were both very tired. And you would clearly see that I was not intoxicated.”

Matthew Ureste also criticized Patton, describing the "media explosion" surrounding the investigation as part of a "political attack."

Matthew Ureste said he believes the chief purposely wanted the media to get the story. He claimed Patton ordered a report written to help substantiate a report in the media. Police have not released a report.

Michele Ureste could not be reached for comment Monday. Last Thursday, she called a report about the incident on WDIV-TV, Channel 4 “defamatory” and alleged that the investigation is politically motivated.

Patton defended the department’s investigation Monday. “I have gone out of my way not to publicly identify anyone involved in this incident, including the driver, passenger or the officer who were involved with the Aug. 13 traffic stop,” he said. “Our review of this incident is compelled by our need to be transparent with the community who employs us to protect them.”