Investigations

2 Charged for Falsely Claiming Mich. Police Officers Stole $120 During Stop

March 24, 2025

A woman and her cousin went on social media to accuse two Burton police officers of taking $120 in lieu of taking the cousin to jail during a traffic stop. But body camera footage told a different story.

By Dylan Goetz

Source mlive.com

A Woman And Her Cousin Went On Social Media To Accuse Two Burton Police Officers Of Taking $120 In Lieu Of Taking The Cousin To Jail During A Traffic Stop But Body Camera Footage From The Stop Told A Different Story

BURTON, MI – Two Flint residents have been charged with false report of a felony for official complaints they made accusing a Burton police officer of stealing money from them during a traffic stop.

The two residents, ages 23 and 24, have not yet been arraigned in Genesee County District Court.

They were stopped by a Burton police officer on Feb. 20 for speeding.

The vehicle’s registration was expired, they had no insurance, the windows had an illegal dark tint, and the driver was driving with a suspended license, according to a Tuesday, March 18, news release from the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office.

Later that day, one of them posted on Facebook that her and her cousin were pulled over and claimed the officer took $120 from her cousin in lieu of taking him to jail.

Burton Police Chief Brian Ross conducted an investigation and reviewed body worn camera recordings of the incident and determined the officer, who denied the allegations, did not take any money.

The poster called the Burton Police Department to file a complaint. Ross invited both of them to discuss the traffic stop.

Each were given citizen complaint forms with the following warning: “I hereby acknowledge that I have read and/or been advised of the following part of ordinance 67C section 10-10 (False reports to police) and recognize that I may be prosecuted for knowingly giving false information to police in this matter. It shall be unlawful for any person to give any information, knowing it to be false, to any member of the police of the city while in performance of his/her official duties.”

Both told police they understood the warning, signed their names and submitted the citizen complaint forms, according to the release.

Police then showed the pair the body camera footage, showing the officer did not take any money from either one of them.

Filing a false report of a felony is punishable by up to four years in prison.

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