Supervisor named in police report over fliers

Official allegedly looked in mailboxes

Harrison Township Supervisor Ken Verkest was recently named in a police report for allegedly examining political fliers in people’s mailboxes, but the supervisor says there’s a good reason for what he was doing.

The incident happened about 11 p.m. July 27 when a resident notified the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office that he saw Verkest driving through the neighborhood of South River Road and Cloverleaf Street.

The resident told deputies that he recognized Verkest removing items from mailboxes and then returning them.

Verkest acknowledged he was in the area and had a conversation with the resident about anonymous political fliers being placed inside of the mailboxes.

“Sure, I was driving around,” Verkest told The Macomb Daily. “Did I touch anyone’s mail? No.”

Harrison Township is known for its contentious political scene that often includes so-called “midnight drops” of political literature, where residents wake up to find a flier in their front door or mailbox. The literature often centers on tax issues in the lakeside community known for its anti-tax climate.

Verkest said there had been a report that the burglar alarm at the municipal office on Townhall near L’Anse Creuse streets had been not been set. He said he drove by the office to check the status of the alarm. On his way home, he received a text indicating someone was driving through neighborhoods passing out campaign literature.

“I was curious,” he said. “I wanted to see what they were

putting out.”

According to a police report, the resident who called the sheriff’s office told investigators he saw a black Chevy pickup truck being driven down his street. Verkest drives a pickup truck. The resident saw the driver get out of the truck, take a campaign flier off neighbor’s mailbox, read it and then return it to the mailbox, the report states.

The resident, whose name is redacted in the report, told deputies the campaign materials had been placed on every mailbox on the street in advance of the upcoming election.

The report states the resident continued to sit outside of his house and saw the truck coming back down the street. He waved down the driver as the vehicle approached his house, and recognized Verkest. The township supervisor denied taking anything from a mailbox.

The resident told deputies he found the incident suspicious and wanted it documented in a report. The deputy provided a report number and told him to contact the sheriff’s office if he could provide any further information.

Although Verkest’s name

had been redacted from the police report, Verkest acknowledged it was him.

Verkest, a Republican who is running unopposed in this year’s election, says the resident is a frequent critic of his on social media.

Verkest said he later asked the sheriff’s office to pull the bodycam footage from the incident to see exactly what the resident said about him. The footage shows the resident did not state Verkest had gotten out of his truck or touched a mailbox, contrary to what the deputy wrote in the report.

The flier had information relating to campaign issues such special assessment districts and the township’s infrastructure.

“Every four years, the same thing happens,” Verkest said. “Someone puts out an anonymous flier with information that’s usually exaggerated or distorted. Sometimes they flat out lie.”

Verkest said if police felt the incident had any credibility, they would follow up, but the matter seems to be closed. He said he expects another “midnight drop” this weekend prior to Tuesday’s primary election.

“It’s unfortunate, it’s immature silliness, but it’s what some people do,” he said.