CENTREVILLE, Mich. — St. Joseph County commissioners voted 6-to-1 to move forward with filing a complaint to Governor Gretchen Whitmer to remove Sheriff Mark Lillywhite from office.
The decision came during a county commissioners meeting in which Lillywhite appeared before the board to give a review of his report.
Documents obtained by FOX 17 reveal that prior to the vote, commissioners commented on their disappointment with the report, Lillywhite's unwillingness to stay for questions and his outside employment held while still collecting a paycheck from the county.
Chairperson Ken Malone told FOX 17 that Lillywhite’s report detailed the activities completed by the sheriff's office; however, Malone says other staff members completed those duties, not Lillywhite.
Malone said in a statement: “This was not a decision that was made lightly. We gave him sufficient time to come back to work. He told me he was going to resign— unfortunately, that never happened. It came a time when voters wanted answers. This is a tough situation. No one wanted to see this happen, but Mark's actions are what brought it on.”
The decision comes three months after the sheriff pleaded guilty to a drunk driving crash that happened in February.
Police say Lillywhite was driving drunk on US-131 when he rear ended the car in front of him, causing both cars to veer off the road.
At the time, Lillywhite was driving a county-owned vehicle and had a gun in the car— and his blood alcohol content was reported as .25— more than three times the legal limit.
READ MORE: Report shows St. Joseph County sheriff arrested for OWI claimed he wasn't driving
In April, he was sentenced to one year of probation.
Next in the process to remove Lillywhite from office, Malone says, is the county administrator relaying the vote to the county's attorney. Then, the attorney will write the letter to be sent to Governor Whitmer.
