Supervisor's Husband to Defend Traffic Stop Treatment at Board Meeting Tonight

In an attempt to defend his name and his wife's reputation, the husband of West Bloomfield Township Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste is expected to address the tonight about the perception that he received favorable treatment from local police during a recent traffic stop.

Matthew Ureste was pulled over for running a red light with his wife in the passenger seat about 2:20 a.m. Aug. 13. The officer said he smelled alcohol, Police Chief Michael Patton said, and the driver admitted to drinking before going home from a Kid Rock concert in Detroit.

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

Typically, people suspected of drunken driving are given preliminary breath tests and, if intoxication is indicated, taken to the police station for a more complete exam that can later be used as evidence in court. Patton would not release the exact results of the preliminary test.

Patton would not identify the police officer, who has .

News that police may have broken protocol has riled someone into blasting residents with a taped phone call about the incident.

Several residents reported Sunday night to having received a “robo-call” regarding the Aug. 13 traffic stop of Matthew Ureste, which has become the focus of a "media explosion," according to the message, which was reviewed by West Bloomfield Patch.

The automated phone call does not identify a source. A female voice says, “This is not a sales call, but an important message about the scandal brewing at Town Hall involving Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste.”

The message refers to comments Michele Ureste made to media last week, alleging that Chief Patton is using the investigation of the police officer in the traffic stop for political gain.

The message continues, “Supervisor Ureste is falsely blaming our police chief for her problems instead of taking personal responsibility … demand that supervisor Michele Economou Ureste be held accountable for her actions. Tell her to stop the blame game, admit her role in this abuse of power scandal or resign from office.”

Matthew Ureste said Monday that he would be at the township board meeting tonight to speak publicly against the anonymous call and other “political attacks” that have resulted since the story was .

“What we’ve seen with the robo-call is something that a political attack specialist would do. That angers me for what I think America should stand for,” Matthew Ureste said. “The people of West Bloomfield can only expect more of this going in the 2012 election year. Any time a political attack doesn’t identify the source, the ad is guaranteed to be misleading and false.”

Michele Ureste is up for re-election in 2012.

Readers commented on West Bloomfield Patch’s Facebook when asked if the automated phone call message would entice them to attend Monday's meeting. Comments included:

• Clare Epstein: "I won't be at the Town Hall meeting. I don't like getting any of the robo-calls."
• Jeff Kowalsky: "I do not think I will go."
• Venus Abrahim: "I'd like to know the whole story. I would also appreciate knowing who is behind the robo-call. I don't trust the motives of people who anonymously accuse others of wrongdoing."

Michele and Matthew Ureste have spoken out against the nature of the traffic stop investigation, with Matthew claiming both were “very tired” driving together that night and that he did not fail the preliminary breath test.

“It was a routine traffic stop,” said Matthew Ureste, adding that if a dashboard video camera installed in the police officer’s vehicle had been operable he would “be vindicated.”

On the agenda

is scheduled to meet at 7 tonight at In Monday's special meeting, the board is scheduled to discuss new contracts for police officers, command officers and firefighters, in addition to a consideration of the information technology director’s performance. See full agenda attached in the photo gallery.