How a troubled Michigan cop moved from department to department, leaving scandal in his wake

>> HE IS A TROUBLED MICHIGAN

POLICE OFFICER WHO MOVED FROM

DEPARTMENT TO DEPARTMENT

LEAVING SCANDAL IN HIS WAKE IN

MULTIPLE CITIES. HE WAS

ACCUSED OF ABUSING HIS

AUTHORITY, VIOLATING THE

PUBLIC TRUST IN LINE

REPEATEDLY. BUT THAT DIDN'T

STOP HIM FROM FINDING BADGES

AND CITY AFTER CITY. TONIGHT,

7 INVESTIGATOR ON JONES

REVEALS HOW IT WAS ABLE TO

HAPPEN AND HOW SOME POLICE

CHIEFS COULD SOON BE IN HOT

WATER.

>> THAT SOMEONE LIKE THIS

COULD SLIP THROUGH AND THE

SYSTEM IS IN PLACE FOR A

REASON. AND IT SHOOK UP THE

SKY.

>> PLENTY OF POLICE

DEPARTMENTS WERE WILLING TO

HIRE OFFICER MARK ALDRICH. BUT

VERY FEW WE LEARNED WERE EAGER

TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU THINK THIS

IS THE BEST LOOK RIGHT NOW,

YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT THIS

ALDRIDGE HAS WORKED FOR AT

LEAST 4 DIFFERENT POLICE

AGENCIES RUNNING INTO SERIOUS

TROUBLE REPEATEDLY. BUT

INSTEAD OF LOSING HIS BADGE,

OUR INVESTIGATION REVEALS HE

KEPT FINDING NEW ONES AS AN

OFFICER WITH POLICE RECORDS

SHOW ON WHICH OBTAINED A

VEHICLE FROM A TOWING COMPANY

TO GIVE TO A NEEDY FAMILY. BUT

INSTEAD OF DONATING THE CAR,

ACCORDING TO POLICE RECORDS,

THE VEHICLE SHOWED UP ON E-BAY

ALDRIDGE SAID HE SOLD IT FOR

EXTRA INCOME. HE WOULD LATER

CLAIM THE VEHICLE WAS ALWAYS

INTENDED FOR HIS OWN USE.

EVENTUALLY ALDRIDGE WORE OUT

HIS WELCOME IN BELLVILLE WITH

THE CHIEF. THEY'RE TELLING ME

HE ASKED HIM TO RESIGN.

>> HE DID. AND IT WASN'T LONG

BEFORE ALL THAT ROUND. NEXT

JOB HERE IN HURON TOWNSHIP AND

TROUBLE SOON FOLLOWED.

>> LESS THAN 6 MONTHS ON THE

FORCE, RECORDS SHOW ALDRIDGE

RESPONDED TO A VEHICLE CRASH

THAT INVOLVED AN EXOTIC

DANCER, ALDRICH ARRESTED THE

WOMAN WY AND MARIJUANA

POSSESSION A WEEK LATER. WELL,

THE CHARGES AGAINST ARE STILL

PENDING. HE MET UP WITH HER AT

THE STRIP CLUB WHERE SHE

WORKED. ALDRICH RECEIVED LAP

DANCES. RECORDS SHOW AND THE

WOMAN PERFORMED A ACT. HE WAS

LATER ACCUSED OF HARASSING THE

WOMAN SENDING TEXTS THAT

CREEPED HER OUT WHEN

QUESTIONED ALDRICH WAS DEEMED

DISHONEST. GO TO HURON

TOWNSHIP LIEUTENANT, I SHUDDER

TO THINK OF WHAT HE'S ATTITUDE

OR ACTIONS MAY CONSIST OF. IF

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE

EMPLOYMENT, ALDRICH RESIGNED

AND BEGIN LOOKING FOR HIS NEXT

JOB. SHAME ON US. IF WE ALLOW.

>> PEOPLE LIKE THIS GUY TO

VICTIMIZE THE CITIZENS THAT WE

TOOK TO PROTECT.

>> RON HAD AN SPENT 14 YEARS

AS DEARBORN POLICE CHIEF. WE

ASKED HIM TO REVIEW ALL THAT

HIS BACKGROUND. WOULD HE GIVEN

HIM A BADGE? I WOULD NOT HAVE

HIRED THIS GENTLEMAN.

>> TO HIRE SOMEONE LIKE THIS

WILL CLEARLY ERODE THE

INTEGRITY OF THE DEPARTMENT.

BUT AT LEAST ONE POLICE CHIEF

WAS WILLING TO ROLL THE DICE.

I'M TAKING A HUGE GAMBLE,

BROKE THE CHIEF IN CARLTON

MICHIGAN.

>> AND ALDRIDGE BETTER HAVE

ALL THESE ISSUES BEHIND HIM.

CHIEF TROY JOHNSON HIRED BEACH

IN 2017. WELL, IN CARLTON, HE

RACKED UP COMPLAIN SAYS MINOR

SPEEDING AND RUNNING. STOP

SIGNS TO MORE SIGNIFICANT ONES

LIKE CONDUCTING AN ILLEGAL

TRAFFIC STOP AND DISHONESTY.

HE WAS HIT WITH MULTIPLE

CITIZEN COMPLAINTS OVER HIS

ANGER AND LAST OCTOBER WAS

ACCUSED OF ROAD RAGE LOOKING

CATCH.

>> MY GIRLFRIEND AND MY

DAUGHTER-IN-LAW WERE JUST THE

KROGER IN. SO UNLIKE

BRANDISHED A FIREARM FOR

>> DURING A DISPUTE OVER A

PARKING SPACE, A WOMAN AT THIS

GROCERY STORE SAID ALDRICH

LIFTED HIS SHIRT TO REVEAL HIS

GUN. THEN ASKED, DO YOU WANT

TO SEE MY BENCH? HE CALLED FOR

A RASH OF EXPLETIVES. SHE

DIDN'T PURSUE CHARGES AND BY

PHONE, ALDRIDGE CLAIMED HE DID

NOT BRANDISH HIS GUN. BUT WHEN

HE WAS QUESTIONED ABOUT WHAT

HAPPENED, HE'S POLICE CHIEF

TEAMED ALDRIDGE WAS NOT

TRUTHFUL.

>> BUT PERHAPS THE MOST

SERIOUS ALLEGATION AGAINST HIM

CAME BACK IN JANUARY AS

ALDRICH WAS PREPARING TO LEAVE

CARLTON, ACCORDING TO THE

POLICE CHIEF. WELL, HE WAS

REVIEWING BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE

STEMMING FROM CITIZEN

COMPLAINTS AGAINST ALDRIDGE.

HE NOTICED ONE OF THE VIDEOS

AND BEEN DELETED ALDRICH SHE

SAID WAS THE TOP SUSPECT.

>> BUT INSTEAD OF PURSUING THE

ISSUE, THE CHIEF DROPPED IT

THERE, WRITING IN THIS MEMO, I

HAVE DECIDED NOT TO PURSUE

CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR THE

DESTRUCTION OF EVIDENCE DUE TO

THE FACT THAT ALDRICH HAS

RESIGNED BY PHONE. ALDRIDGE

TOLD ME I DON'T HAVE ANY

RECOLLECTION OF DELETING BODY

CAM CHIEF, TALK YOU IN

SECONDS. ROSS JONES WITH

CHANNEL 7. THE CHIEF DECLINED

OUR REQUEST FOR AN INTERVIEW.

SO WE FOUND HIM EARLIER THIS

MONTH AS HE PICKED UP HIS

LUNCH. YOU WROTE THAT HIRING

WOULD BE A HUGE GAMBLE. YOU

HIRED HIM ANYWAY. WHY DID YOU

GAMBLE WITH PUBLIX, A PRESS

RELEASE FOR YOU AT THE

STATION? WOULD YOU TAKE A

GAMBLE ON A GUY WHO HAD BEEN

TRYING TO WITH A WOMAN? HE

GAVE A DUI TOO.

>> WHY WOULD YOU SOMEBODY LIKE

I HAVE GOT A PRESS RELEASE FOR

YOU AT THE STATION. WE WANTED

TO ARREST THE CHIEF. WHY? ON

THE VERY SAME DAY HE WROTE

THAT ALDRICH MAY HAVE

DESTROYED EVIDENCE HE REPORTED

TO STATE REGULATORS THAT HE

RESIGNED IN GOOD STANDING. YOU

ARE GOING TO PURSUE CHARGES OF

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY

INSTEAD YOU LET ANOTHER

AGENCY. IRIN, WHY DID YOU DO

THAT? I HAVE THE PRESS RELEASE

FOR YOU. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING

TO ADD OR SUBTRACT. YOU HAVE

ANY ANSWERS.

>> I HAVE A PRESS RELEASE FOR

YOU BY REPORTING THAT ALDRIDGE

LEFT ON GOOD TERMS. IT

PREVENTED THE MICHIGAN

COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT

STANDARDS FROM FLAGGING HIS

LICENSE.

>> MAKE EASIER FOR ANOTHER

AGENCY TO HIRE HIM. IT WASN'T

LONG BEFORE ONE DID. I'M BLOWN

AWAY. IMPRESSED BY HOW WELL

LAKEWOOD PD IS DOING A

RECRUITING EARLIER THIS YEAR.

LES KOREANS, POLICE DEPARTMENT

EXTENDED A WARM WELCOME TO

OFFICER ALDRIDGE, CALLING HIM

A VERY APPROACHABLE FELLOW. HE

WAS HIRED BY POLICE CHIEF TODD

STANFIELD WHO DECLARED UNDER

THE PENALTY OF PERJURY THAT HE

HAD REVIEWED ALDRIDGE'S

PERSONNEL FILE FROM CARLTON

PD. HE NEVER DID SHE BEFORE

THE MEETING BEGINS. WE TALKED

TO QUICKLY AS ROSS JONES WITH

CHANNEL 7 CHIEF STANFIELD

WOULDN'T AGREE TO AN INTERVIEW

EITHER. SO WE FOUND HIM IN A

CITY COUNCIL MEETING EARLIER

THIS MONTH. WOULD YOU HIRE AN

OFFICER WITHOUT DOING A

COMPLETE BACKGROUND IT?

>> WELL, ARE THIS OFFICERS

SERVE STANFIELD WOULDN'T

ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS. THEN

DUCKED BEHIND A LOCKED DOOR.

HOURS LATER, THE CITY COUNCIL

VOTED TO DEMOTE HIM FROM CHIEF

TO LIEUTENANT CITY COUNCIL.

PRESIDENT JAERENE ARCH WOULD

NOT SAY IF ALL THAT IS HIRING

WAS THE REASON WHY. WHY WOULD

LAY KOREAN HIRE AN OFFICER

LIKE THAT? WELL, I GUESS

THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

>> UNFORTUNATELY, DON'T HAVE

AN ANSWER FOR YOU. WELL, A LOT

OF POLICE CHIEFS ARE TELLING

DIFFERENT STORIES TONIGHT. LAY

KOREAN OFFICIALS SAY THAT

ALDRICH IS CURRENTLY ON

ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE, BUT IM

COOL SAYS HIS LICENSES IN

INACTIVE STATUS.

>> MEANING HE CAN'T BE A COP

ANYWHERE RIGHT NOW, HURON

TOWNSHIP POLICE CHIEF TELLS ME

HE ONLY HIRED ALDRIDGE AFTER

GETTING RAVE REVIEWS FROM

BELLEVILLE AS POLICE CHIEF WHO

TOLD ME PREVIOUSLY HE ASKED

ALDRICH TO RESIGN. AS FOR

CHIEF FLOYD JOHNSON CARLTON,

HE SAID HE REPORTED THAT

ALDRIDGE LEFT IN GOOD STANDING

BECAUSE IT WASN'T UNTIL LATER

THAT SAME DAY THAT HE

SUSPECTED HIM OF DESTROYING

THAT BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE. MARC

ALDRIDGE'S, YOU MAY SUSPECT

DID NOT AGREE TO AN INTERVIEW

ON THIS STORY. SOUNDS LIKE A

LOT OF PASSING THE BUCK AND

KIND OF A NO, SIR, OF STORIES

THAT ARE QUITE BUT THIS IS NOT

THE ONLY CUP LIKE THIS NOT THE

FIRST COUPLE DID A STORY LIKE

THERE WILL BE MORE.

>> WE'VE GOT TO COME UP WITH A

BETTER WAY TO STOP THIS FROM

HAPPENING.