Prosecutor Disputes Domestic Violence Warrants 'Simply Disappeared'

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Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy plans to keep a close eye on Canton Township’s decision to refer domestic violence cases to its own prosecutor amid allegations that Worthy’s office lost more than three dozen warrant requests.

“They have no idea what they are getting into when they take over these DV (domestic violence) cases,” Worthy told Hometownlife.com. “These are very delicate cases that a prosecutor should not be handling unless they are trained to do them.”

The Canton Township Board of Trustees said last week that the have warrants “simply disappeared” over the past two years, an allegation that caught Worthy’s office by surprise. Her office is working to get the information to Canton officials, Worthy said.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office had never been made aware of the missing warrants, Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller said.

“We were never made aware of the missing 40 cases. We had never heard of these disappeared warrants,” Miller said. “We were never provided with any list or inquiry that there were some cases that disappeared.”

Worthy criticized the trustees for not discussing the matter with her before referring domestic violence cases to prosecutor Greg Demopoulos, who handles cases in Plymouth-based 35th District Court, and said trustees handling of the issue was “unprofessional.”

“I would never, never, never do this to someone where I would complain about them publicly before talking with them first,” she said. “I think that’s unprofessional.”

Canton Public Safety Director Todd Mutchler told township trustees that his officers investigated 598 domestic violence cases in 2014, and requested 375 warrants. The prosecutor’s office authorized 86 warrants, and 43 of them went to trial.

Worthy said her office reportedly handles between 6,000 and 8,000 domestic violence cases a year, and more resources are needed for those cases as opposed to some others. Victims are often uncooperative, she said, leading to a dismissal of charges.

Mutchler said he isn’t criticizing Worthy’s office, but said victims deserve to see their abusers prosecuted.

“We’ve just got to take care of the people’s needs in Canton,” Mutchler said.

Assuming responsibility for prosecuting misdemeanor cases — Worthy’s office would still prosecute felony charges — comes with increased costs, including up $120 an hour for warrant reviews, and $750 for a full-day jury trial. However, it’s unlikely the township would be able to bill Worthy’s office to recoup the costs officials said.

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