Hart City Councilor Tim Shannon Makes a Resolution...

[XLFD]

... To Use City Water to Cut Back on Expenditures and Liabilities

You may have already heard this story, it was reported by WOOD just before 1 PM on Wednesday and picked up by WZZM and the Muskegon Chronicle later that day.  A Hart City Councilor is alleged to have drowned his wife in the bathtub of their home, pending a divorce and a mistress in waiting.

The City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) finally posted the story the next day, that in itself being odd since their media holdings include the Oceana Herald Journal based right in the center of Hart.  They did get an interview with the Mayor:  Hart Mayor Ron LaPorte said he was shocked by the arrest, as is everyone he’s talked to.

“To all of us, it’s not the Tim Shannon we know,” LaPorte said. “It’s totally out of character for him. Nobody would expect that.”

LaPorte said he saw Tim at a committee meeting Monday night and the normally quiet man was a little more vocal than he had been at other meetings.

“This guy was straight-laced, down-to-earth, a by-the-book type of person,” LaPorte said. “That’s why it’s so shocking to us all.” COLDNews article

Mayor LaPorte forgot to mention that Councilor Shannon would never think of doing anything as significant as murder without a quorum of councilors present.

Here is the WOOD story and WZZM video:

 

Councilman charged with drowning wife

By Ryan Takeo

HART, Mich. (WOOD) - A city councilman in Hart has been charged with drowning his wife in the bathtub of their Oceana County residence.

Now, police say a councilman Tim Shannon's extramarital romantic relationship with another woman may have been one precursor to what they are calling a homicide.

Tim Shannon called police to his home at 214 Courtland Street in Hart around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2012. Authorities found Lee-Ann Shannon dead in the bathtub.

"The story that they were given was that this was an accidental drowning in the bathtub of the residence," Lt. Craig Mast of the Oceana County Sheriff's Department told 24 Hour News 8.

Police were skeptical.

"Thirty-four-year-olds in pretty good physical condition don't usually drown in their own bathtub," said Lt. Mast. "That's a pretty extraordinary story."

Both the public and those close to the Shannons began giving investigators tips, the county prosecutor told 24 Hour News 8. That is when the investigation took a turn toward murder. Soon, a suspect was developed: Tim Shannon.

"We took over the investigation because there's a city council member involved in it. Hart police wasn't interested in having a conflict of interest," said Mast.

Oceana County sheriff's detectives interviewed Shannon Tuesday night. At that point, they said, his story changed. Police and the prosecutor stopped short of confirming he confessed.

"After that statement he was placed under arrest," Lt. Mast said.

Tim Shannon, 34, was arraigned Wednesday on an open murder charge. Bond was denied.

Lt. Mast told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday they are hearing that Shannon has since hired an attorney.

The Shannons had been married for six years and had two children. But Tim Shannon had hired an attorney to handle a divorce, Mast confirmed 24 Hour News 8 Thursday.

And, Mast said, Shannon had been having an affair with a woman in her 30s who had been renting a room in the Shannons' home. Mast said that woman appeared to have "had a critical role in their pending divorce."

The woman has since moved away, but had previously been interviewed regarding the death. Authorities are not currently working to find her.

"Things may change because this goofy story has been unraveling quickly," Mast told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday over the phone.

Tim Shannon never denied having a relationship with the woman, Mast confirmed to 24 Hour News 8, and thought the accidental drowning story could cover up a "perfect murder."

"This was a crime of passion. You know, it certainly appears to be a crime of passion," Mast said Wednesday. "It seems like the marriage may have been deteriorating. And tempers got the best of them and made some decisions that one party is going to live to regret and the other didn't."

MY TAKE:  I seriously have to come to this City Councilor's defense because in the Muskegon paper and in some of the press releases by the OCSD Lt. Craig Mast, other police and the prosecutor have come close to tainting the jury pool with innuendo, without actually bringing out the details of what they have actually uncovered, or what Shannon may have said.  When Mast says:  "This was a crime of passion... tempers got the best of them and made some decisions that one party is going to live to regret and the other didn't", and when Sheriff's Det. Shane Hasty says police became certain the case was a homicide because:  “Adults don’t drown in bathtubs,” -- they are showing a bias which I would find distasteful as a juror if there were no admission or airtight evidence..

Prosecutor Bizon also would not comment on specifics of the investigation, yet praised police for their work on the case:  “I’m really grateful for the work of the Hart city police force and the Oceana County sheriff’s department for not letting this sift through the cracks.  They did a wonderful job of investigating this. I just give them a lot of credit for doing a very professional job.”   The praise should be delayed until they present their case to the public and win or lose a prosecution.

[Willy]

Your right about the Sheriff adding details to the story that could taint a jury selection. By what I am reading and  According to the Sheriff, Shannon is guilty. The Oceana County Sheriff must be the Mentalist.

[XLFD]

I erred by dubbing Lt. Mast as the sheriff of Oceana County, and corrected that in the thread head.  Robert Farber has that position.  But Mast does look like the Mentalist, albeit a bit older and less polished, and you can find the word "mast" inside "MentAliST" in correct order.  Something the Mentalist would see right away.

Putting an editorial spin in a police investigation while keeping the details mostly covert is a technique that too many prosecutors and police practice nowadays, and it tends to work for them in getting what they seek, a conviction.  Making most aspects of the investigation public tends to work more against them, as it may help the accused get a fairer trial, and expose the limitations of their case.   

[Marty Redman]

The idea to kill his wife would have never got out of committee.  What surprises me is that he was only in his second year of being a city councilor, which makes me think he must have been good at the job.  He obviously has went through breaking all the ten commandments (thou shalt not lie, commit adultery, kill, etc.) less than halfway through his first term. It can take some inept politicians several terms to get to that point. 

[XLFD]

Obviously, a quick learner who will likely end up wth a second term-- in prison.

[AQUAMAN]

A lot of circumstantial evidence shouldn't automatically convict this man. But, if he's guilty, he's a nut to try and get away with this. Btw, adults drown every year in bathtubs, pools, hot tubs, shallow lakes/ponds, and elsewhere that sounds impossible. Mostly because the person has passed out, hit their head and been knocked out, or simply panic from lack of swimming lessons.

[XLFD]

Recall Whitney Houston and Det. Scott Peterson's first wife drowned in bathtubs-- maybe accidentally.  A study reported in this Seattle website based on a five year study has about 335 such drownings occur in a year usually due to the effects of alcohol or drugs.

[AQUAMAN]

Plus the fact that she may have had a medical problem, heart, seizure, stroke, fainted?  I presume an autopsy is in order, and this would normally tell the tale of the matter. Except for maybe the one in Ludington regarding the asian that drowned in the City docks last June. Hope he's not involved again.

[XLFD]

If this happened in Ludington with a Ludington city councilor, I could see the local gendarmes taking charge and calling it a suicide. 

I do have a better regard for the OCSD, however, since they have shown themselves as professionals when I've needed to FOIA them, and their paperwork, investigation is generally well done. 

[Renee Brown]

thats right i dont think he didit

[Renee Brown]

yes and nobody got arrested

[Renee Brown]

I do not think Tim did this

[Renee Brown]

I really do not think Tim killed his wife my ex and I and Chelsey used to live in this home and the house has evil spirits we even seen orbs in pics sometimes and Doug abused my daughter and I