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Almont police officer charged with lying after teen son's crash
Now she’s charged with lying to investigators for saying she was with her 15-year-old son at the time he was driving a car that crashed with an Amazon driver - leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries.
ALMONT, Mich. (FOX 2) - Almont Police Officer Amanda Szymanski was a member of the Ferndale PD honored as the 2017 Mothers Against Drunk Driving Officer Of The Year.
Now the Lapeer County officer is charged with lying to investigators for saying she was with her 15-year-old son at the time he was driving a car that crashed with an Amazon driver - leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries.
The juvenile fled the scene of the crash prior to her showing up at the scene in Dryden Township, a news release from the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office said. But witnesses say Szymanski was never even there.
The traffic crash happened on July 2, 2023 when an Amazon driver failed to yield to a GMC Acadia, driven by the teen.
"She’s been working. This occurred about a year ago," said Jim Tignanelli, Police Officers Association of Michigan.
He says Officer Szymanski could lose her license to be a cop if convicted of a felony.
Sources tell Fox 2 Almont Police Department bosses want her on administrative leave but a top official in town allegedly blocked the move.
She’s now scheduled to work again later this week.
"In Michigan, if you are found guilty of, plead guilty to, or no contest to a felony, you are automatically disqualified from having MCOLES certification," said Tignanelli. "So if that were to occur, if it’s a misdemeanor it’s not an automatic loss of license."
Macomb County is prosecuting the case. They say the officer’s teenage son left the scene of the crash allegedly caused by the Amazon driver not yielding to the teen.
Prosecutors say the officer showed up while off-duty and told investigators that she was in the car with her son, but that wasn’t the case, according to detectives who followed up on the probe.
"This officer could be in a world of crap," said Steve Dolunt, the retired Detroit police assistant chief.
Dolunt says police officers are held to a higher standard, and have to be treated as such - meaning her job might be on the line.
"She writes someone a ticket for whatever and they go to court, and someone says wait a minute - you are writing me a ticket and you lied to the police?" Dolunt said. "'Your honor this ticket should be dismissed.' It may sound far-fetched but that’s what happens."
The charge against the officer is two-year high court misdemeanor. The now-16-year-old boy in this case, her son, was charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious impairment or death. That is a five-year felony.
Macomb County is handling the case due to a potential conflict of interest in Lapeer County court.
"Police officers are held to a higher standard and allegedly lying to protect a loved one in a serious car crash only complicates the criminal justice process and leads to more harm. Our community relies on honesty and cooperation to ensure that justice is served fairly and swiftly," said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido.
Szymanski was given a $5,000 personal bond.