Police bust fake GoFundMe set up in fallen DPD Sergeant's name
As Detroit police mourn the death of Sgt. Ken Steil, they arrest a man suspected of starting a fraudulent GoFundMe account in his name.
Besides the fake accounts - police found big marijuana grow operation and weapons - but a relative of the suspects claims it's all legal. Now, one man was cuffed and questioned. His brother and mother now under arrest.
"This is a despicable act of selfishness and greed," said Cmdr. Elvin Barren, reacting to the bogus GoFundMe account in the name of slain DPD Sgt. Ken Steil.
Barren said that's what initially led police to a house on Courville in Detroit. At first officers searched the house for electronic devices - but then found more.
Inside officers discovered several handguns and in the back of the house large marijuana grow operation.
No one from the police department or the Steil family authorized the GoFundMe account, listed under the name Akbar Mohammed - a name investigators say is linked to other fake accounts and Johnson's brother, who is now in police custody.
"This person also has GoFundMe accounts for other sources like military veterans and whatnot," Barren said. "Those will be investigated as well to see if he collected money and did he distribute that money under pretenses of military personnel."
The suspect at first refused to cooperate - instead calling his mother - who rushed to the scene.
She is now in custody - because an officer claims she tried to run him over.
"That was just a concerned mother," said Montez Johnson. "She didn't try to hit the officer, the officer ran into the street with the guns drawn.
Johnson is the brother of both suspects who live at that house, a military veteran accused of creating the fraudulent GoFundMe account and possessing the guns found inside the house. And a man sitting on the porch was questioning about running the grow operation.
But Johnson claims his brother who is a nursing student is also licensed care giver, is legally growing the marijuana officers seized from his home.
"He has his cards posted, he has the gates put up, he had the fence put up," Johnson said. "He had everything the state of Michigan told him to do."
"That's why our narcotic unit is here already they discovered violations," said Barren. "We have not seen paperwork that shows he is a licensed caregiver from that point we are going to collect his marijuana and continue the investigation."
Johnson who had an explanation for it all, was frustrated by how the events unfolded and how his family was treated. Police say they are looking into whether the guns and the grow operation were legal.
Police say it is a shame that someone used an officer's death to make money.