A South Carolina man with ties to Lake Orion will be extradited back to Michigan as soon as possible, Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh said.
In a joint statement issued by the Lake Orion Police Department and Attorney General Mike Cox’s office last Wednesday, Reginald Brown of Charleston, SC was arrested and is facing felony charges. He allegedly owes his ex-wife, who is paralyzed, more than $110,000 in court ordered spousal support. He is being charged with Felony Non-Support, which carries a maximum penalty of four years and/or up to $2,000 in fines.
According to Oakland County Circuit Court records, Brown divorced his wife, Lake Orion resident Sandra McSwain, in February 1989 after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At that time, the Court ordered Brown to pay $1,000 a month to McSwain.
‘For years, Reginald Brown has caused Ms. McSwain to suffer through his criminal negligence for failing to pay Court ordered assistance,? Narsh said.
Without the money from spousal support, McSwain has been left dependent on public assistance and volunteers in order to survive.
‘This is a tragic case with horrific circumstances,? Cox said. ‘What has happened in this case is unconscionable. Ms. McSwain, who was left destitute and without the ability to work, deserves to receive the court ordered support owed to her. The responsibility in this case rests squarely upon Reginald Brown.?
Narsh referred the case to the Attorney General’s office on February 15, 2007 for assistance.
‘If sheer humanity cannot compel the defendant to live up to his responsibilities, then my office will remind him of the penalties for ignoring his legal responsibilities,? said Cox.
Faced with not receiving the spousal support payments, McSwain almost lost her house in 2001. At that time, she called Narsh in a panic in what he calls the ‘eleventh hour.? She had five days to come up with $8,000 to pay off a loan before facing foreclosure. Narsh contacted the local media, and within 30 minutes of the story airing, the $8,000 needed, plus some, had been raised.
Narsh said that he decided to issue an even greater challenge and see if they could raise enough money to pay off the remaining mortgage, so McSwain would not be faced with this situation again. Once again, the public pulled through.
But according to Narsh, he wasn’t done yet.
‘I said then that I was going to hunt this guy down and we finally did,? he said.
Narsh said that the Attorney General’s office is working out the logistics of bringing Brown back to Michigan and an arraignment will be based off of his arrival date. It will occur in 50th District Court in Pontiac.
According to Narsh, Brown evaded detection of local authorities by living on his yacht ‘aptly named ‘Vanishing Point.??