Detroit cop's racy OnlyFans page, Jeep owner sued for fatal oil change, and more of 2022's top stories

DETROIT (FOX 2) - As 2022 comes to a close, we're looking back at some of the biggest stories around Metro Detroit.

Jeep owner sued after worker killed during oil change

An accident that killed a dealership worker in 2020 led to a vehicle owner being sued this year, despite the owner having nothing to do with it.

The customer took his Jeep to the Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership for an oil change on March 13, 2020. When a 19-year-old mechanic who had never driven a manual vehicle attempted to change the oil, he removed his foot from the clutch, which sent the vehicle lurching forward into mechanic Jeffrey Hawkins.

Hawkins was killed instantly.

Though the Jeep's owner wasn't even with the vehicle when it happened, attorney David Femminineo said he had no choice but to sue the owner because of the law.

In Michigan, an injured coworker cannot sue the boss because of the boss' negligence. According to FOX 2's Charlie Langton, in this case, the boss is negligent because they hired someone who didn't know how to drive a stick and didn't even have a driver's license.

So even though the boss was negligent is hiring someone who shouldn't have been driving, the victim's family cannot hold the boss responsible.

Instead, the remedy for the victim's family is to seek out worker's compensation, which they have.

Under worker's compensation, Hawkins' family will receive wages and medical based on his dependents and how much he made at the time of his death.

However, there are multiple wrinkles here. Because Hawkins' death involved a car, there is a statute known as the owner's liability statute that means the owner of the car is legally responsible. 

"When you hand your car over to anybody including the valet or the person at the service desk at your local dealership, you better be able to trust that person," Femminineo said.

Eventually, the dealership paid the victim's family through a settlement.

5-year-old boy murdered because he 'was going to snitch'

A 5-year-old Detroit boy was shot nine times in February because he "was going to snitch."

According to court records, suspected shooter Malcolm Hardy killed Caleb Harris' mother LaShon Marshall and her boyfriend Aaron Benson before turning the gun on the boy.

During a May court hearing, three witnesses were called including the cousin of Marshall, the first responding Detroit police officer, and a friend of Hardy's. The friend testified that Hardy had confessed to him what happened.

The friend said the three teens did ‘jobs’ for Benson, which included delivering weed for him.

That friend said that his twin brother and Hardy left home on the night of the murder. When Hardly returned, he allegedly had a gun that belonged to Benson and said that he shot the three victims after Benson grabbed his shirt and tried to punch him.

He then said that he shot Marshall in the butt by accident, and then he shot her in the head, killing her. There was a third person in the house and Hardy allegedly said that he believed little Caleb was "going to snitch on him."

Marshall is charged with murder, gun, and robbery charges.

According to court records, he has a competency hearing scheduled in January. 

Stripper brought into event at high school

When the Mount Clemens High School gym was rented out to former NFL star Quentin Hines, the school says it had no idea the event would involve a stripper twerking.

Hines' organization Rivals Recruiting Worldwide rented the gym for the Peezy's Sweetie's Day Bash charity event.

Part of the event was recorded and uploaded to Facebook, showing a shirtless man rapping while a woman, wearing barely any clothes at all, twerks in the middle of the basketball floor on top of the school's Battling Bathers logo.

"I don't think she was a stripper. She was one of her dancers that was underdressed, and it's unfortunate," Hines said. "I did not know that someone would come that underdressed to dance with him."

Hines has rented facilities from the district before with no issues in the past.

"I've rented the facilities at Mt. Clemens for 10 years about 100 times," Hines said.

After the incident, the district said it would be reviewing its rental policies. 

Cop off job after racy OnlyFans page discovered

A Detroit police officer resigned earlier this year after the department discovered her OnlyFans page.

Janelle Zielinski was posting racy videos on the subscription-based site. DPD did not like this, and an investigation began.

"One of our officers through her Instagram account had a paywall set up and was posting pornographic videos on the other side of the paywall," said Chris Graveline, the director of the Detroit Police Department's Professional Standards section. "One of the bedrocks of DPD is you have to keep your private life unsullied as well. This is a major point of emphasis to our officers so when we see something like this, Command moves very quickly. Chief White takes these things very seriously because it represents not just DPD but all of the city of Detroit."

According to police, her Instagram account that linked to the OnlyFans page had photos of her in her DPD uniform.

Zielinksi was suspended before the department learned that she had resigned. 

It was a situation that led to debates about whether what you do off the clock should cost you your job.

Kindergartner serves margaritas to classmates 

Kids thought they had juice during snack time at Grand River Academy in Livonia. It was actually booze.

A kindergarten student brought a bottle of ready-to-drink Jose Cuervo margaritas to his Livonia elementary school and served it to classmates.

Alexis Smith said her daughter was given a Dixie cup full of the mixed tequila drink and had 4 or 5 sips. 

"The girl poured it in her cup and she drank it and the girl ended up telling her what it is, and she went and told the teacher there is liquor in this cup, and the teacher gave her a funny face," another parent, Dominique Zanders, said.

The school released a statement that says, in part:

"While we try to keep an eye on everything our students bring to school, that’s simply not possible. It’s unfortunate that these types of adult beverages can be easily mistaken for child-friendly drinks."

The school said they called poison control to consult regarding the next steps.