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WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Karen Spranger, the embattled former Macomb County Clerk ousted after just two months on the job, has now been accused of assaulting a 78-year-old she was supposed to be caring for.
Spranger was elected clerk in 2016 and took office in January of 2017. By March, she was removed from office after a judge found that she had lied about where she lived when she filed to run for office.
A year later, she's now been accused of assaulting a 78-year-old woman she agreed to care for after an incident at the woman's home Tuesday night.
According to police records, Spranger has known the woman for years and offered to be her caretaker in October. Police were called around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday from that woman who said Spranger had thrown her to the ground.
Police found the woman, outside of her apartment, who said she was afraid to go inside with Spranger. When police took the victim toward Spranger, the victim ran in the opposite direction.
Assault charges have not yet been filed but Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer says they will be. The assault charge is fairly serious already but it gets worse. Beyond that, the victim told police that, on numerous occasions, her debit card was missing - and later found to be in Spranger's possession. Plus, within the last three weeks, $1,800 has gone missing from the woman's purse.
"The Macomb County adult protection has been notified," Dwyer said.
Spranger gave police an address but they couldn't find her there after the Tuesday night incident. A neighbor said that he has seen Spranger there occasionally. She also wasn't found at her address she used when running for county clerk.
The police definitely want to talk to her but can't track her down because the number is either wrong or no longer used.
"We take this seriously. Especially when it comes to elderly people. I mean they're being abused on a daily basis," Dwyer said.