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Sergeant with GRPD being demoted following handling of alleged drunk driving crash

Posted at 5:51 PM, Feb 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-22 23:47:16-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich– A sergeant with the Grand Rapids Police Department is being suspended, following the investigation into the handling of a suspected drunk driving crash involving an assistant prosecutor.

The city told FOX 17 Wednesday evening that the city and police union reached an agreement regarding Sergeant Thomas Warwick. They say he’ll be suspended without pay for 160 days. Once he returns to the department, he’ll be demoted to officer.

Wednesday’s decision stems from a crash back on November 19. Investigators say Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Josh Kuiper was drunk when he drove the wrong way on Union Avenue and crashed into a parked car, injuring a man who was reaching into it at the time.

Officials say the crews on the scene of that crash only gave Kuiper a ticket and didn’t perform a breathalyzer at the time.

Three members of the Grand Rapids Police Department were investigated following that incident: Officer Adam Ickes, Sergeant Thomas Warwick and Lieutenant Matthew Janiskee.

Officer Ickes has accepted a 30-day suspension without pay and will return to his job.

A termination hearing for Janiskee is scheduled for next month.

As for Kuiper, he turned in his resignation with the Prosecutor’s Office following that crash.