No Charges

Prosecutor cites state law

Newaygo County Prosecutor Ellsworth Stay announced Friday that no criminal charges would be brought at this time regarding recently reported allegations of inappropriate behavior by the two Fremont Public School teachers in the early to mid 1990’s. These reported allegations may not be charged as crimes as they are barred by the Michigan statute of limitations.
“While most charging decisions are up to the discretion of the prosecutor there are some circumstances when a prosecuting attorney is barred from issuing charges due to “statute of Limitations” laws,” explained Stay. “Under statute of limitations law a prosecutor cannot charge a crime that was committed more than a specified number of years ago. This can be very frustrating for prosecutors who wish to seek justice for victims and hold criminals accountable for their crimes. But the fact is, if the police are not able to present the required probable cause evidence to the prosecutor within the timeframe listed in the statute of limitations, then the prosecutor may not authorize charges under the law.”
“I applaud the victims for their courage in coming forward to talk about these very difficult subjects,”  He added. “ I thank the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, the Michigan State Police and the Fremont Police Department for their thorough investigation. Unfortunately due to Michigan law criminal charges cannot be brought. Current legislation in the Michigan legislature does not extend the statute of limitations in this case. My office will be monitoring any changes in that regard. I hope in bringing these actions to light allows the victims to start or continue their healing process.”