The resignation of an Oakland County Sheriff’s Department deputy who was stationed at the Springfield Township caught fellow deputies by surprise, and they are waiting with the public to see if he will be charged in connection with a multi-state Internet child pornography operation.
The resignation came Friday, Jan. 2, several days after Waterford police confiscated personal computer equipment from his home.
Sgt. Frank Schipani, commander of the Springfield Township sheriff substation, heard the news when he returned from a holiday vacation.
‘We were all shocked,? Schipani said. ‘Nobody I’ve talked to or worked with expected anything like this. There was no hint of anything like this. It was way out of blue.?
The 17-year veteran had been stationed at the Springfield substation for about a year, according to Undersheriff Michael McCabe. Upon learning of the Waterford police search, the sheriff’s department issued an immediate suspension.
?[Sheriff Michael Bouchard] takes this kind of thing very seriously,? McCabe said. ‘It obviously is very disturbing to this office.?
Sheriff’s investigators inspected computers at the Springfield substation, but found no evidence of pornographic images there.
‘There’s nothing to indicate there was any activity while he was on duty,? McCabe said.
With the deputy’s resignation, there is no further involvement expected from the sheriff’s department, but McCabe said Waterford police may file charges based on evidence of the deputy’s alleged involvement in the exchange of pornographic images to and from California and New York.