Police Officer Charged With Misdemeanor In Vigilante Case
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) -- A Wayne County jury came to a split decision in the case of a St. Clair Shores police officer accused of armed robbery, unlawful imprisonment, felonious assault and other charges.
Michael Notoriano, 43, was found guilty of willful neglect of duty -- a misdemeanor -- but not guilty on the other charges for going on a vigilante search for his daughter's stolen iPhone in 2013, tracking the device down to a gas station on Detroit's east side.
Police said the incident started when Notoriano's then-16-year-old daughter was mugged and was thrown to the ground two years ago.
Prosecutors say Notoriano and then-Detroit police Sgt. David Pomeroy traced the phone to Detroit, where they confronted three other men at gunpoint the next day. That's when Pomeroy allegedly took a handgun and the phone and Notoriano took $300 and marijuana before striking one of the men with a gun.
Notoriano will be sentenced in March.
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller said she is disappointed with the jury's verdict, but is pleased that the sergeant will be held accountable for his conduct.
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