Prosecutor rebukes Ethan Crumbley rumors, Michigan rep releases profanity-laced voicemail, more substitutes

TUESDAY NEWS HIT - The Oakland County Prosecutor is trying to stop misinformation regarding the competency of accused  Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley and says social media posts circulating aren't true.

Posts on social media started circulating on Monday, Dec. 27, that Crumbley was deemed incompetent for trial. FOX 2 spoke with someone from the prosecutor's office who said those posts are "100 percent false".

Crumbley isn't due back in court for another ten days - on January 7 - for a probable cause hearing. His original hearing on Dec. 13 was delayed due to both the prosecution and defense not able to process all the evidence in the shooting.

The prosector's office released a statement about the false posts:

"The office of the Oakland County Prosecutor has become aware of posts on social media claiming the Oxford High School shooting suspect has been deemed incompetent to stand trial. This is absolutely untrue. Please refrain from sharing inaccurate information."

Michigan Rep releases profanity-laced voicemail

Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell released a recording of a threatening voicemail she received on Monday, with the caller on the other end using explicit language and telling her he hopes her family dies in front of her. 

The calls have grown in frequency since former President Donald Trump disparaged her husband during a rally, the Dearborn rep said Monday. "The kinds of nasty messages, nasty comments, just nasty how people can be sometimes, and it’s hard. People forget that we are human beings, that we have feelings," Dingell said.

She first shared the voicemail on CNN where she was joined by Michigan Congressman Fred Upton to discuss the importance of civility in politics. Upton, a Republican who backed Trump's second impeachment effort, has also received threatening calls.

"Maybe we could just try to treat each other a little nicer and not leave these kinds of threatening messages or go after someone. A little act of kindness is a lot better than screaming at somebody," she said. Dingell's Dearborn office was also vandalized in November, but police said other offices in the building were also damaged, so it doesn't appear she was targeted.

Michigan Covid testing sites hit breaking point

As more people line up for COVID-19 tests this holiday season, testing sites are short-staffed because employees have caught the same virus they are testing for. "This demand has been overwhelming," said Dr. Manish Kesliker, the medical director at Emcura Urgent Care. "We're at a breaking point."

Kesliker said Emcura's Bloomfield Township location usually have 5-7 workers swabbing people each day. On Sunday, there were two people working. "Most individuals have now developed omicron themselves, not from testing but from social gatherings. It was the holidays and people got together," he said. "And then there’s occupational exposures that will be an issue all along."

Kesliker said this shortage is preventing the urgent care, which also has a Northville Township location, from testing as many people as it wants to. Emcura was forced to close early on Christmas Eve, and it has limited its hours.

"When we aren't having adequate staffing, we can’t move at the efficiency or the rate we would like to," said Shelby Bach, a physician assistant at Emcura. Bach also noted that Emcura is seeing an increase in positive Covid cases and urged people to follow safety protocols to help prevent the spread of the virus. "Our positive rate was increasing from 0-15% to 25-30%, which is just a huge jump in the positive rate," Bach said.

Pontiac man arrested after being charged with murder

The 20-year-old Pontiac man wanted by the sheriff's office after being charged with murder has been arrested. Demetrious Brox Jr. was missing since authorities named him a suspect in the fatal shooting of a man during what police called a drug deal gone bad.

Brox is the fourth person to be charged in connection to the shooting. Two other teens and Brox's mom were arrested as well shortly after the Nov. 14 shooting. Eric Burrell Jr., 16 of Pontiac, and Torrion Wilson, 17, whose residence lists in both Flint and Saginaw, were also charged with murder and armed robbery in the death of the 22-year-old victim. 

Brox's mother, Jennifer Wilson, was charged with being an accessory after a crime when she drove the suspects from the crime to hide them. 

Brox faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. He'll be back in court Jan. 4.

Non-teaching staff can now substitute in Michigan

Michigan public schools can use non-teaching staff as substitute teachers the rest of the academic year under a law designed to address a shortage during the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that she signed the bill last week, calling it a "temporary stopgap" in a letter to lawmakers. 

It lets secretaries, paraprofessionals and other school employees without a teaching certificate — such as library aides, bus drivers, cooks and office workers — work as subs as long as they have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate. The legislation had been approved by the Republican-led Legislature on largely party lines over objections from many Democrats and a couple of Republicans.

Michigan generally requires subs without a teaching certificate to have an associate’s degree or at least 60 semester hours of college credit. There are exceptions for those teaching career and technical education classes, typically if they a professional license in the field.

Whitmer signed the bill despite opposition from the Michigan Education Association, the state’s largest public employee union.

— Courtesy of the Associated Press

What else we're watching

1. The U.S. Coast Guard released video of a daring rescue of a missing hiker on Beaver Island on Christmas Day. Video shows crews hovering over a tree as they hoist the individual up. 
2. Michigan's new redistricting commission will vote on the state's new political maps Tuesday. Months of public input and debate haven't solved every problem however, as many accuse the commission of drawing lines along political and racial lines. A state senator will hold a rally to discuss Black representation in the next redrawing today.
3. A round of Covid musical chairs is underway in the College Football bowl season as Central Michigan University is leaving the Arizona Bowl to play Washington State. They were supposed to play Boise State, but too many positive COVID-19 tests derailed that plan. 
4. A Pontiac man suffered burns on 80% of his body after his oxygen tank knocked over candles in his apartment, setting it ablaze. He was on the phone with his daughter when the oxygen tank fell.
5. Consumers Energy received just 12% of its original rate increase request from the public service commission last week. The increase amounts to a $0.59 per month.

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Daily Forecast

Another round of snow is expected to fall on Southeast Michigan Tuesday afternoon and evening, with southern communities getting the first taste of precipitation around 1-2 p.m. Up to two inches is expected to fall.

Airbnb says it'll 'crack down' on New Year's Eve parties

With the COVID-19 pandemic not quite over amid the omicron variant surge, Airbnb is doing its part to make sure its customers have a safe New Year's Eve.

The short-term vacation rental booking company announced it will extend its party ban to 2022 with a few new restrictions – all in the name of public health and safety.

"We’re introducing new products and policies to crack down on disruptive NYE parties," Airbnb wrote in a news release Tuesday. "The anchor of this plan is a ban on one-night NYE bookings in entire home listings for guests without a history of positive reviews."

Customers who try to book a New Year’s Eve reservation in the U.S. (Puerto Rico included), Canada, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain and the U.K. will be subject to Airbnb’s two new booking requirements.

Guests who do not have a positive review history on Airbnb will be prohibited from making one-night reservations for entire homes.