A Michigan National Guard investigation into alleged wrongdoing at the Camp Grayling military training base recommended the removal of seven people, including two lieutenant colonels.
Paul Egan of the Detroit Free Press reports the investigation alleges theft, destruction of government property and nepotism at the “Maneuver and Training Equipment Site” (MATES) at the base in northern Lower Michigan.
“Many ... employees thought it was allowed to ‘look the other way’ when theft (wood, copper, diesel, time) was occurring, and the majority aimlessly followed direction when told to throw thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment away,” investigating officer Col. Scott Doolittle said in a January memorandum to Gen. Gregory Vadnais, adjutant general of the Michigan Army and Air National Guard.
The investigation was completed in January, and the report was turned over to the National Guard's criminal division.
Base spokesman Lt. Col. Bill Humes says the criminal division concluded earlier this summer that no criminal investigation was warranted.
According to Humes, two lieutenant colonels retired, two master sergeants were fired from their full-time federal government jobs at the base, two other sergeants received two weeks of unpaid leave and one master sergeant was not disciplined.
Two of those fired over the allegations, - Master Sgts. Joe Smock and Renee Reed, are appealing.
More from Egan:
The allegations against Smock mainly related to theft. “I maintain I never stole anything,” Smock, who remains with the Michigan National Guard as a weekend reservist but no longer works at the base, told the Free Press on Friday … The allegations against Reed were that she hurt morale and discipline by having an inappropriate relationship with Golnick, and that she improperly used government vehicles.
The author of the report wrote that he fears for the safety of some of the witnesses who have come forward in the probe.
