Holding the Losing Hand

[XLFD]

Let's introduce a 'power couple' that we consider among the most corrupt pair of officials we have ever known to live under the same roof (outside of the Tykoski residence in Ludington).  To your right in the picture below is retired Michigan State Police Trooper David Wiegand, who used to serve on their Narcotics Enforcement Team and train probationary troopers as a Field Trainer.  To the left is Beth Hand (aka Beth Wiegand), the county prosecutor who has greatly tarnished the profession in her brief time at it.  We've brought attention to her ethical issues that led to her exodus out of Oakland County following a high-profile Brady violation and pointed out her propensity for falling short of being a model prosecutor or assistant prosecutor here on at least half a dozen occasions. 

Beth Hand is known for her propensity in prosecuting practically every person who the police perceive to be reprobates, even if the evidence is elusive.  We see this happen regularly for drunk driving cases, such as this one settled with conviction in August 2024, this one when she was assistant prosecutor, and many that come with less fanfare in the press.

One of those not receiving any fanfare at all happened back in November 2022, and we have received the report and other materials on that incident drafted and recorded by a Lake County deputy who was called after someone stopped to help a group of people whose vehicle was stuck in a ditch.  That person noted that the occupants of the vehicle seemed rather inebriated and were in no condition to drive if he had been able to help them get out of the ditch, so he called 911.  The aforementioned deputy arrived with an active body cam and made out a report afterwards, here is the summary of what happened that evening at the heading of his report:

We will be releasing more of the record in due time, but we note that Prosecutor Beth Hand-Wiegand has her name nowhere in the report, but disturbingly guess whose name comes up on the footage, with her husband claiming that he was only behind the wheel to get it out of the ditch, and when asked about who drove the vehicle into the ditch plainly responds with the words "My wife."  Polygamy isn't legal in Michigan so that seems to reference only one person...

David Wiegand, however, took one for the team and was arrested knowing perhaps that he would get off with no charges, and he did.  There are no court records in either Lake, Mason, or even Newaygo County showing that the arrest led to charges.  Austin Mendez, a Mason County deputy at the time, would perhaps learn a lesson that night that those with power can drive drunk, and not worry about facing charges.  He would also carry a secret he could use to his advantage in getting favorable treatment by the prosecutor, should he ever need it.

On June 1st, 2024, now Ludington Police Department (LPD) Officer Austin Mendez was stopped by his own department after violating many traffic laws and showing signs of extreme drunkenness.  This was covered up by the LPD for over one and a half years, only coming out after the Ludington Torch forced the LPD to release the records after hearing of the offense in open court.  Two other officers damaged their careers and reputations for helping Mendez escape justice.  

As noted in the LPD's internal investigation, Mendez' indiscretion was turned over to the MSP for a review-- two days after the fact and with no proof other than the existing videos showing the multiple traffic violations committed and the condition of Mendez after a night of drinking.

I asked for these records and the prosecutor's denial of charges in this case from Prosecutor Hand's office, I eventually received the following FOIA response, showing an investigation hampered by the three involved officers effectively taking the Fifth under advisement of an attorney we believe was specially hired by the LPD in order to defend the errant-acting officers.

It may seem odd that material witnesses to a crime (Babinec and Noble) are advised by their attorney to not provide statements to the trooper investigating the Mendez incident.  Until you recognize the even bigger felony of tampering with evidence seen in section five of MCL 750.483a

The intentional acts performed by Noble and Babinec that night were far from being noble, they were instead criminal-- but that aspect is never investigated because it was never considered a serious transgression by either Chief Christopher Jones, Trooper Wolf, or Prosecutor Hand, all who fail to recognize the gravity behind the felony of evidence tampering-- a charge that I keep hearing being credibly leveled at other ethically-compromised LPD sergeants like Mendez and Gilmurray.  While circumstances are key to deciding whether this arises to that level, it certainly appears that way to several legal sites and an AI assessment:

Chief Jones guaranteed his department's good name would be forever sullied not only by the intentional cover-up lasting 19 months, but for the lack of any disciplinary action at all against a cop who is on camera turning off his audio and later actively turning off the other active cameras.  The investigation showed that Babinec admitted to Captain Haveman that she intentionally turned her BWC off and advised Noble to do so, after he had already intentionally shut off his audio, as seen in the surviving recordings.  The state had a great case against these two, but the legal ramifications were never explored by the trooper, who otherwise did a commendable job, or the prosecutor who denied the need for any additional fact-finding, saying:

The debt she owed to Deputy Austin Mendez for keeping quiet about her ditch driving was returned. 

The messages are clear.  If you are a police officer or a prosecutor's husband (or even the actual woman who drove into the ditch back in 2022), you won't get any blemish when you've had too much to drink and get caught by friendly fire while driving.  Likewise, if you are the officer who catches another officer or high official driving drunk and tamper with the evidence to keep their good name out of the newspaper, there will be no legal ramifications for you.  You are a protected class, a tier immune from prosecution.

But if you have the nerve to bring awareness of this leadership crisis in the halls of justice and at the LPD, you will be facing three separate criminal cases, all based against the legally recognized right for a person to stand, walk in, or otherwise exist in a place available to all members of the general public, and not be charged with trespassing by a police department devoid of ethics and then subsequently be arraigned thrice by a prosecutor with the same ethical affliction and the apparent lack of wisdom to not drive while she is impaired by strong drink.

[Freedom Seeker]

Assuming this is David Weigand the same husband of Beth Hand-change my-name-to-hide-my-shame-Weigand.

Excellent digging, X. No wonder the police come to intimidate you and Beth Hand-Wiegand is doing all she can to facilitate false charges against you.  She obviously seems to think she is above the law.

Really disgusting example eroding confidence in Mason County law enforcement and prosecution. What else has been covered up?

IS THERE A HIGHER AUTHORITY TO ISSUE JUST PUNISHMENT?

[XLFD]

In answer to your question, we should all have faith that there is an ultimate higher authority and bend a knee to the power that will preserve justice, truth, and honor in the universe and punish those who pervert it or live through peddling hypocrisy.  While there may be time left yet in her lifetime for her to receive justice on this earth for her own actions and justice for the ones who she has prosecuted unfairly, I have a feeling that she won't go to her reward at the end of her days, but to her punishment that she was so freely to administer to obviously innocent parties that she has decided to prosecute.

Assuming her husband was telling the truth in that BWC footage, she has a lot to answer for to those who wasted their vote on her in 2024, should she decide to run for reelection.  She would pursue three felonies on a young kid who ran away from his attackers (and responding police) who cut him multiple times, but not even a misdemeanor on herself or hubby when they were caught.  Evidence showing that the 2022 DWI Wiegand case coming before another prosecutor to decide whether a warrant would issue has not materialized.  This would indicate that Assistant Prosecutor Hand had a part in denying it. 

Maybe this is a good part of why former Prosecutor Kreinbrink stepped down before her term ended, as this impropriety was known by some surprisingly high-ranking public officials and public defenders, assuredly leaving a bad taste in the mouths of those who take their public service seriously.

[Freedom Seeker]

I wonder what Sheriff Kim Cole thinks of this breaking news? Would he endorse Beth Hand-Weigand again?

Also wonder if this previously covered-up scandal affected the previous Ludington Chiefs of Police resignations (including the Mayor)?

[XLFD]

Cole endorsed her in 2024 undoubtedly knowing about this incident as his deputy was there, but (***surprise***) there was no official report drafted by Deputy Mendez showing him responding to a one-vehicle accident where three state troopers and the county's assistant prosecutor were involved in, one drunken trooper pejoratively calling the responding Lake County deputy a "cop-arrester".  I don't know if Mendez migration to the LPD 9 months later had any connection to this, but some of the cases that he has had prosecuted by Hand since 2023 seem to show that he is seeking scalps of citizens for the smallest of infractions and could indicate that he is holding the revelation of this incident over her head in a bizarre extortive scheme to up his body count (as regards arrests).

[Freedom Seeker]

Thanks X for your responses. I was thinking some of those resignations were due to some officials who had better moral compass. If so for Kreinbrink, then she stands in a much better light against the darker authorities (for whom we must pray as you say and hope a higher authority works with their consciences), or if not, somehow levels the playing field. Thanks for digging, and look around with your shield.

[XLFD]

I would like to equate Beth Hand's obsessions, noticed by friend and foe alike, with something akin to a Shakespearean tragedy in motion during the second or third act.  And yet, I think I need to shimmy over to Melville as she reminds me most of Captain Ahab in her career projectile, and my role appears to be that of Moby Dick (admittedly, I'm sometimes more of a dick than a moby).  Will her unregenerate obsessions and fanaticism lead her to the bottom of the sea in a figurative sense by the hand of her mortal enemy?  I'd say it's inevitable.  She holds almost all the cards, but it helps her not because we're playing Uno.

[Freedom Seeker]

"Cancel that plate"... I just watched the Mendez video again on a legal site gone viral. Why does Noble? (the arresting officer?) radio "cancel that plate"? Is it because he recognized Austin Mendez and ALREADY, prior to calling Supervisor Babinec decided on his own volition to cover up for Mendez? (He was let off because supposedly he was just "following Babinecs orders." Doesn't seem like it. His may have been the instigating decision to cover up, seems in my opinion.

This is so awful. Is there any way a trial or fair justice done can be instigated at this point?

[XLFD]

You are always very perceptive, FS, and while I have not highlighted the "cancel that plate" line by Noble, it has always reinforced my position that Noble flipping off the audio on his BWC w/o any sort of contact with Sgt. Babinec was the first domino to fall in the game of cover-up conspiracy, and that he was the one to mastermind it.  Cancelling a request made to dispatch to find out who the vehicles owner was, could easily have been a foreshadowing of a course of conduct he would adopt after confirming the identity of his peer.  This is supported by Babinec being the person who confesses just after shift change, not Noble, who was 'not noble' throughout and given a free pass.  He needs to face some justice, IMHO.

That viral video, which I put up last night, was given to the Civil Rights Lawyer YouTube page by one of our loyal readers who passed them both the WZZM coverage of the Mendez affair along with a couple of our articles on it.  I can therefore claim an assist in getting this infamy out in the public's eye and his viewers (who are used to seeing police behaving badly) were unanimous in calling for justice for the three officers and the prosecutor who let us all down.  Destroying evidence, DWI, and abuse of prosecutorial discretion are the crimes they see happening.  

I don't see Beth Hand ever taking up a prosecution of a police officer regardless of the nature of the crime, that's just how corrupt she is, but she will take up anything from police put in front of her when they ask for a warrant.

[Freedom Seeker]

Yeah, thanks X. What's the policy on drug usage/OWI at LPD? Maybe Mendez would have been canned cause he seemed quite buzzed and maybe non-Noble recognized that or found it out after he turned off BWC and cancelled the tag request and plotted a scheme with Babinec

[Freedom Seeker]

https://www.fbi.gov/about/faqs/does-the-fbi-investigate-graft-and-c....

This site above says FBI can investigate local police corruption. And wouldn't the MI Attorney General as well?

Some of the 2.5 k comments (in just over 24 hours?) on that YouTube site really show the destructive hypocrisy of this type of police corruption and Prosecutor coverup.

It is really disgusting how many people have had their lives ruined (financially and job wise) for a lot less than Mendez and the corrupt corrobrators who got away with the coverup, withholding FOI, and tampering with evidence.

EXCELLENT job bringing this to light, X. I hope action can be taken to at least bring resignation and fines paid and police records instated for Mendez and a cleaning outof the corrupt Ludington Police Department.