ALPENA, Mich. (WILX) - An Alpena man accused of making false claims against Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers during the execution of a search warrant. The case has made its way to the circuit court, said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
“Law enforcement officers who uphold their duty to serve and protect deserve to be vigorously defended against false accusations,” said AG Nessel. “I take seriously accusations of misconduct and am committed to thoroughly investigating such claims to ensure the public trust. In this case, Michigan State Police were falsely accused, and the offender will be held accountable.”
MSP executed search warrants on Thomas VanDuinen’s home and on a pole barn he was renting for his business in Alpena in February 2021. Two days after the execution of the search warrants, VanDuinen began filing demands for the return of his property and then filed lawsuits against MSP. In his demands and lawsuits, VanDuinen made allegations against the MSP troopers who searched his home and business accusing them of stealing money and hydrocodone pills and forging signatures on the search warrants that were used to search his properties.
70-year-old, VanDuinen, of Alpena is being charged with three counts of a false report of a felony, which would be a four-year felony offense, one count of providing a false statement to a police officer, a two-year high misdemeanor, and one count of use of a computer to commit a crime, a seven-year felony.
The Alpena man...
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