Dear members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners:

We the undersigned feel it is time to collectively take a stand regarding an elected member of county government who is an integral piece in the criminal justice system—Prosecutor John McDonough. We hope this letter is interpreted as one based on calm and measured reflection regarding not just one isolated incident, but the continual lack of leadership, lack of work ethic, and mismanagement of the entire office of the prosecuting attorney of this county.

To be very specific, Mr. McDonough’s habitual lack of attendance at his workplace for the last several years has resulted in a catastrophic backlog of criminal cases that has clogged the entire criminal justice system. His failure to meet the most basic expectation of showing up for work each day has resulted in many significant issues.

His failure to provide the most basic training and guidance to assistant prosecutors has resulted in a revolving door of employees. Additional tax dollars are spent sending the new hires to basic training seminars, but he fails to provide them with the necessary support and guidance.

Then, at times, he has fired them before the taxpayers realize a return on the investment. He will then spend months waiting for another suitable candidate to be hired, when the cycle starts again. Perhaps worst of all, as he currently continues to collect full pay and benefits, the county has had to outsource his work to another attorney at the expense of the taxpayers.

He has repeatedly wasted taxpayer dollars by allowing cases to linger and be set for jury trial as he simply hasn’t put the time and effort into reviewing the file. His inability to be reached by law enforcement during critical situations has negatively impacted the area police departments’ abilities to enforce the law and keep the peace.

It has also resulted in serious errors in the protection of constitutional rights and procedures to properly collect evidence. He has cut last-minute deals for serious criminal cases while ignoring the advice of the assistant prosecutors that managed the cases and, even worse, without even consulting the victims of the crimes. Make no mistake, this all has harmed the pursuit of justice and, quite simply, Mr. McDonough has brought embarrassment to our county that we call home.

You, as commissioners, have seen this happen multiple times over the past several years and are fully aware of the expenditures on training, hiring, firing, and human resources expended with regards to the previous two paragraphs. The assistant prosecutors that do succeed end up leaving the office for better opportunities because they are so overburdened by doing the majority of the work while Mr. McDonough simply fails to appear.

The average resident unfortunately does not see the inner workings and strife described above. However, Mr. McDonough’s decision on May 11, 2020, to consume alcohol during business hours and his subsequent accident and arrest constituted a pivotal incident that brought some light to this extreme dysfunction.

More importantly, Mr. McDonough’s choice to reportedly leave the scene of the accident, his behavior during the investigation, and his characterization of the incident in the weeks thereafter underscore his lack of respect for his elected position.

According to the preliminary breath test at the scene on May 11, Mr. McDonough was above the legal intoxication limit for driving. Several hours later, the datamaster breath tests indicated it fell below the legal limit. Instead of taking repentant responsibility, though, he bragged to MLive reporter Ryan Boldrey in a June 23 story that “[t]he breathalyzers were both below the legal limit…[t]hat’s what counts in court.” This clearly demonstrates a lack of respect for his elected office.

Everyone is in agreement in the hope that Mr. McDonough receives the help he needs and that he improves his health for himself and his family. However, his history over the past several years demands his replacement and the incident from May 11 underscores that need. The posture he has taken with this recent incident further notably demands his resignation and we are duly asking for just that.

After weeks of careful and thoughtful consideration and much waiting, we are also asking this board to lead, as you have been elected to do. As your constituents and as residents of St. Joseph County, we are calling on you to ask for Mr. McDonough’s resignation by official resolution at tomorrow’s regular meeting. Your approximately 61,000 total constituents deserve better.

Sincerely,

Your constituent residents of St. Joseph County, as signed below:

Tadd Davis, Colon Township

Aaron Miller, Sturgis, 59th District State Rep.

Jennifer Schwartz, Fawn River Township Treasurer

Joe Schwartz, Fawn River Township

Nicole Edson, Colon Township

Duane Butcher, Fawn River Township

Amy Butcher, Fawn River Township

Dawn Everett, Fabius Township

Darcy Shinew-Howes, Park Township

Kendra Ackerman, Colon Township

Julie Carpenter, Leonidas Township

Ann Susemihl, Fabius Township

Deb Cupp, Nottawa Township

Robbie Hattan, Colon Township

Lyndsey Hattan, Colon Township

Tom Miller, Lockport Township

Gail Miller, Lockport Township

Don Overholt, Leonidas Township Clerk

Mia Gilbert, Leonidas Township Trustee

Rich Baker, Burr Oak Township Trustee

Larry Walton, Nottawa Township

Jack Coleman, Park Township

Steve Carra, Three Rivers

Shanelle Mallen, Branch County*

Desa Middleton-Weed, Branch County*

Dera Weed, Branch County*

*not part of the list of constituents