This story is being reported on the AP wire service.



More charges could be coming in Gladwin, Macomb counties against fire investigator
Associated Press

CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A fire investigator accused of faking evidence in arson cases may have been caught up in “hero worship,” a prosecutor says.
Jeffrey Wallace, who was trained to work with police dogs to detect flammable materials and explosives, has been charged in Gladwin County with tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice and filing a false police report.

The state police say a monthlong investigation also may result in charges in Macomb, St. Clair and Bay counties.

“From his own statement, it sounds like he got caught up in a hero-worship adulation type of thing that led him down this path,” Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith told The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens on Sunday.

Authorities say they have videotaped evidence that shows Wallace — Eastpointe’s former assistant fire chief and fire marshal — planting evidence at the scene of fires in Macomb County’s Chesterfield Township and also in Gladwin County. Wallace was the target of a monthlong undercover investigation initiated by Chesterfield Township and the state police, Smith said.

Wallace and his police dog “Cops” were well-known to law enforcement officials for their ability to detect accelerants at the scene of suspicious fires.

Wallace was arrested on Friday and has been released on personal bond.
Smith said officials are reviewing convictions in cases in which Wallace was involved.

“We don’t have any cases where it was his sole word that resulted in the conviction. He more often than not was working with the state police,” Smith said.
Eastpointe Police Chief Michael Lauretti said he will review cases Wallace investigated in his community. The police chief said he never suspected any wrongdoing on Wallace’s part.

“When I got a call about this I was absolutely speechless,” Lauretti said.

Information from: The Macomb Daily, [www.macombdaily.com]