Melvindale police sergeant pleads no contest to willful neglect of duty charge

Sgt. Matthew Furman reaches plea agreement with prosecutors

MELVINDALE, Mich. – A Melvindale police sergeant pleaded no contest Monday to a charge of willful neglect of duty.

Sgt. Matthew Lawrence Furman made the plea during an afternoon arraignment.

The case involves a February incident during a call about a man who appeared to be drunk and disorderly, police said.

Furman was originally charged with assault and battery, but that charge was dropped Monday when Furman reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Police were called at 9:44 p.m. Feb. 1 to a home in the 17300 block of Clarran Avenue to break up a volatile drunk situation, officials said.

"He and two other officers responded to a location, a disturbance call," Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Matthew Penny said.

Furman got in trouble for ordering an extremely intoxicated man to walk down a flight of stairs. The man fell, officials said.

Emergency medical workers were called and took the man to a nearby hospital, police said.


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