Wayne County official, brother of Detroit mayoral candidate, gets third DUI but avoids jail
Wayne County commissioner gets third DUI, but avoids jail
His connections include serving on several government boards and even being the brother of a candidate for Detroit mayor.
(FOX 2) - A well-known Wayne County official is facing questions about whether his political connections helped him avoid mandatory jail time for not one, not two, but three drunk driving busts more than twenty years ago.
His connections include serving on several government boards and even being the brother of a candidate for Detroit mayor.
Big picture view:
Wayne County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch held several other government positions over the years and helped many of his fellow Democrats get elected across the region.
Government records show Commissioner Kinloch never spent a mandatory 30 days in jail after his third drunk driving arrest in 2003. Under Michigan law, a third drunk driving bust is a felony and punishable by a minimum of 30 days behind bars.
Wayne County activist Robert Davis says he wants to know why that didn’t happen and filed a lawsuit against the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, City of Detroit and Detroit Police Department, among other agencies.
He says government officials told him records pertaining to the Kinloch case that he FOIAed, suddenly could not be found. Davis is questioning whether Kinloch’s political connections helped him avoid that mandatory 30-day jail sentence.
Dig deeper:
Commissioner Kinloch is the brother of Detroit mayoral candidate Solomon Kinloch, the popular preacher. FOX 2 asked Davis and the Commissioner about the situation, but the Commissioner did not have much to say.
We did get a later statement from Commissioner Kinloch which says:
"I fulfilled everything the Probation Department required of me. Afterwards I was released from my probation."
The Prosecutor’s Office tells us they do not comment on pending litigation.
The other side:
FOX 2 also reached out to Pastor Kinloch’s campaign for a statement on this matter. They would only say this issue does not involve the pastor.