Lansing, MI : Macomb Clerk Spranger involved in car crash on April, Wednesday 19th 2017

Macomb County Clerk Karen Spranger was involved in a serious traffic crash Wednesday night in which she rear-ended a vehicle stopped at a red traffic signal just hours after being admonished by a county board for actions taken in her first few months on the job.

Spranger and the 60-year-old Warren woman who was stopped at the light were not injured, authorities said. Both were travelling alone and both were wearing a seatbelt.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Roseville Police Chief James Berlin said Spranger, driving a county-owned 2013 Ford Focus, was heading west on 12 Mile Road, approaching Groesbeck.

“As she approached the intersection, she began to brake. She said her foot slipped off the brake pedal, onto the gas pedal and rear ended a car already stopped at the red light,” Berlin said.

Police do not suspect Spranger was under the influence of drugs or alcohol or using a cellphone at the time. No other vehicles were involved in the collision.

Reached at her office Thursday morning, Spranger said she is OK. However, she had difficulty recalling how the incident occurred.

“It’s hard to stay. I’m still thinking about technically how it happened. I don’t know how to describe it,” Spranger told The Macomb Daily.

Spranger received a ticket for failure to stop at an assured clear distance, and having no proof of insurance, Berlin said.

Prior to Wednesday’s crash, Spranger had no points on her driving record. According to the Michigan Secretary of State, she was ticketed in 2008 for driving 5 mph above the speed limit.

The Focus was towed from the scene. The other motorist’s Jeep was driven from the scene.

The Macomb County Executive’s Office was notified of the incident late Wednesday, Deputy Executive Mark Deldin said.

Deldin said the county’s vehicle fleet manager “is 100 percent certain” insurance documentation was in the Ford Focus when that car was provided to Spranger. He said the county Finance Department is awaiting a written statement from Spranger about the accident. That report is required of any county employee involved in a collision while driving a county-owned vehicle.

Upon taking office, Macomb’s elected county officials are offered the use of a government-owned vehicle or a $300 monthly allowance in lieu of a county vehicle. That practice also extends to department heads, depending on job duties and amount of travel involved in their work.

After taking office in January, Spranger declined to accept a county car and opted for the allowance. In February, she changed her mind and received a Ford Taurus, Deldin said. That vehicle had a mechanical problem, so Spranger was assigned the Ford Focus while the Taurus was set aside for repair.

The crash is the latest problem for Spranger, who was fined $100 on Wednesday by the Macomb County Ethics Board after the panel determined she violated the county’s ethics ordinance. The ethics charges were filed against her by Spranger’s former chief deputy, Paul Kardasz, and Erin Stahl, the ex-chief deputy register of deeds. Spranger fired both of them after they filed their respective complaints with the ethics board. Kardasz and Stahl subsequently sued Spranger, accusing her of violating their right to free speech and that she violated the state whistleblower protection law.

“It’s unfortunate the problems for the newly elected clerk continue to mount and the cost to defend whistleblower (lawsuit), grievances and litigation and now an accident, continue to climb for the county taxpayer,” Deldin added.

Source :
Macomb Clerk Spranger involved in car crash, ticketed