Gary Ford will pay for his crime, but he won’t pay as much as Oxford officials wanted him to.
On Tuesday, the former Oxford police chief was sentenced to one year probation in Oakland County Circuit Court and ordered by visiting Judge Alice Gilbert to pay the Oxford Public Fire and EMS Commission the sum of $1,324.17 within a six-month period as restitution for his crime.
Gilbert sat in place of Judge Patrick J. Brennan, who died of a heart attack on Monday.
Ford pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty Jan. 5 in exchange for the prosecutor’s agreement to drop the felony charge of misconduct in office.
Both charges stemmed from a Jan. 5, 1999 incident in which then-Chief Ford influenced a police officer under his command to not arrest a suspected drunk driver, who was identified as a police millage supporter, and drive the man home.
The $1,324.17 in restitution is a far cry from the $58,263.81 OPFEC was seeking from Ford under Michigan’s Crime Victims’ Rights Act.
“OPFEC is seeking reimbursement of all costs incurred in connection with an internal investigation of Defendant Gery Ford which led to the subsequent law enforcement investigation and criminal prosecution,” wrote OPFEC special counsel Allen Wolf in a Jan. 30 letter to Oakland County’s Probation Parole Office.
Wolf was the attorney OPFEC hired to conduct the internal investigation of Ford, which began in 1999 and concluded in 2000. The special counsel investigated 44 allegations against the ex-chief.
The $58,263.81 OPFEC sought consisted of Wolf’s billable hours (which include testifying in Ford’s preliminary examination and criminal trial), court reporter and transcript costs for the depositions Wolf conducted during his investigation and wages paid to police officers (including Ford) who were deposed during the internal investigation.
According to Assistant Prosecutor Paul Walton, the judge ruled that since Ford was being sentenced for only one crime that was part of the original 44 allegations Wolf investigated, the ex-chief should only have to pay restitution for that particular crime.
Gilbert divided the $58,263.81 OPFEC requested by the original 44 allegations and arrived at the proportional sum Ford was ordered to pay as restitution, Walton stated.
Under the terms of his probation, Ford cannot drink or frequent places where alcohol is served and must submit to regular alcohol testing, for which he must pay a $20-per-month supervision fee, according to Walton.
Walton said the ex-chief must also pay $300 in court costs, a $50 Crime Victims’ Rights fee and a $40 state cost.
While on probation, Ford is not allowed to leave the state for the next year.
However, the court ruled the ex-chief will be allowed to travel out-of-state to Washington to visit his son, who reportedly was the victim of a violent assault, Walton said. However, the ex-chief will be required to provide “verification” to his probation officer.
Ford will have to provide the probation department with the reason for his trip and definite times and dates regarding his departure, the duration of his stay and his return to Michigan.
“He can’t leave and stay there for the next year,” Walton said.