Local business owner sues Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
A area company owner has accused the Monroe County Sheriff’s Place of work of generating bogus and slanderous accusations in opposition to his companies in an hard work to sever contractual interactions in between them and the county.
Jacques (Jack) Poli, proprietor of Rockwood Towing Inc. and Rockwood Vehicle Pieces, has sued the county as effectively as Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough and Detective Sgt. Mike Preadmore, alleging that the sheriff’s office environment knowingly fabricated an accusation that a boat and vehicles owned by Poli were stolen as pretext for getting rid of Rockwood Automobile Components and Rockwood Towing as county distributors.
Rockwood Vehicle Elements has been in procedure given that 1964, and Rockwood Towing has been in organization considering that 1999.
Rockwood Automobile Components commenced giving automobile restore, services and fleet maintenance for county-owned cars in 2013, including the sheriff’s office’s fleet of cars, becoming the county’s distinctive automobile repair service and routine maintenance company in 2018. Rockwood Towing has been the exclusive towing company supplier for two of the county’s six “zones,” and shared a 3rd with four other towing companies given that the mid-2000s.
“He is (Goodnough) produced up some phony accusations he’s turned me around to the state for investigation, and it truly is all bulls—,” Poli explained Monday when arrived at for remark. “…I did not deserve what’s likely on. … I think the sheriff experienced this planned months in advance of he was even elected.”
The 29-web page lawsuit, which was submitted March 25 in the Unites States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges that Goodnough to begin with expressed a wish to switch Rockwood Towing and Rockwood Vehicle Elements with other vendors for towing and vehicle mend and maintenance solutions just about quickly immediately after he was elected sheriff in January 2021.
That exact month, Goodnough allegedly contacted Poli to inquire about a scrap 1980s Stingray Heart Console boat that Poli says he bought from Monroe County in 2018.
On Jan. 19, Goodnough and Preadmore allegedly demanded to inspect Rockwood Vehicle even when told of Poli’s absence. The lawsuit claims the two officers photographed and took details from various motor vehicles on the house throughout what it alleges was an illegal research.
“While inspecting each, Rockwood workforce confirmed the obtain information for every single car or truck,” the lawsuit reads. “Defendant Goodnough asked about a boat trailer throughout the unlawful look for and was advised that the trailer was stored at Mr. Poli’s particular residence. Defendant Goodnough followed up many occasions that identical day and the future morning demanding obtain to Mr. Poli’s particular home to examine the boat trailer to assure a new boat remaining bought by the (sheriff’s business office) would suit.
“The demand was mere pretext.”
Poli reportedly consented to Goodnough’s inspection of the trailer, but the lawsuit alleges that the sheriff and Preadmore “unlawfully expanded their research to the entirety of (Poli’s) home together with getting photos of the scrap 1980s Stingray boat.”
“Defendant Goodnough and Detective Preadmore in no way calculated or even looked at the boat trailer,” the accommodate proceeds. “Defendant Goodnough was informed the Stingray boat was bought by Plaintiffs from Monroe County after it was declared unfit for use and detailed for public auction for each MCSD’s Getting Plan. Defendant Goodnough nonetheless falsely said to (sheriff’s office deputies) such as Detective Preadmore that the Stingray boat was stolen, in spite of (the sheriff’s business office) being the history holder of the sale and having cashed the test. Defendant Goodnough then contacted the Michigan State Law enforcement (MSP) to further more make the false and slanderous allegation that Plaintiffs stole the Stingray boat and Ford Crown Victoria automobiles from Monroe County.”
The condition police reportedly opened a criminal investigation versus Poli and his corporations, but the lawsuit claims their investigator was pleased with the documentation and titles that Poli furnished for buys of the vehicles. It goes on to allege that Goodnough used this “open investigation” as pretext to take away Poli’s organizations from the sheriff’s office’s approved vendor list for towing and automobile maintenance and routine maintenance expert services.
“Plaintiff Rockwood was taken off from Area Four, added distributors had been extra to Regions 5 and 6, and Rockwood was stripped from its distinctive, non-crisis towing of (sheriff’s division) motor vehicles, such as motor vehicles and other private residence forfeited in civil circumstances,” it reads. “It was then that Defendant Goodnough started steering repair service, routine maintenance and towing solutions to its favored distributors … Instantly on currently being supplied a receipt of purchase demonstrating the no-lengthier sea worthy Stingray boat was sold by the County to Poli at its scrap price, MSP rapidly cleared Plaintiffs and encouraged the investigation would be closed.”
The lawsuit goes on to accuse Goodnough of manipulating the bidding approach for a new fleet maintenance and mechanic companies agreement to gain Rockwood’s competitors, precisely businesses it alleges had been contributors to Goodnough’s marketing campaign for sheriff.
“The sham bidding procedure and inappropriate steering of auto repair, fleet routine maintenance and tow solutions by Defendant Goodnough to his desired distributors and campaign contributors has significantly harmed and continues to considerably hurt Plaintiffs as perfectly as the neighborhood,” the go well with reads. “The unlawful look for, slanderous allegations of theft, initiation of a destructive prosecution, and specific enforcement of County insurance policies from Plaintiffs has even further resulted in hurt to Plaintiffs which include reputational injury and psychological distress.”
Poli reiterated Monday that the investigations against him and his businesses ended up all shut and he is been cleared of wrongdoing. He states neither of his corporations experienced at any time beforehand been accused of misconduct but that the two have been severely impacted by what he alleges the sheriff has performed to him.
“We’re going to expose him…,” Poli claimed. “I hope it does go to court docket, so we can expose him to the general public for what he did. I am not on the lookout for a settlement I am wanting to expose the sheriff and how corrupt he is.
“All the specifics verify it.”
In a joint statement to The Monroe News, Goodnough and Monroe County Administrator Michael Bosanac claimed that “the unsubstantiated allegations will be aggressively defended like any other folks introduced from the County.”