• Photo from Meridian Township Press Conference in February 2018 with Brianne Randall-Gay.

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - According to a press release by Meridian Township, Brianne Randall-Gay hired an independent investigation into the handling of her 2004 sexual assault complaint against Larry Nassar filed with the Meridian Township Police Department. She independently selected Investigator Ken Ouellette; Kenneth Ouellette Investigations, LLC to conduct the investigation.

The findings of that 88-page redacted report have been made public. According to the report, "The client produced a document containing ten questions for review and investigation. In addition to the questions, the client and Township wanted an understanding as to what transpired for two reasons. The first was for the client, to have her questions and concerns answered so as to continue her healing process, and secondly for the township to learn what went wrong, in efforts to learn from it and to ensure similar issues do not occur in the future."

Questions included:
-Why did Detective McCready not consult another medical expert or perform any investigation on Larry Nassar's explanation of his "Procedure"?

As stated in the report, "It was as a result of that interview, McCready stated he did not pursue further explanation of the procedure because he "believed his(Nassars) lies." Specifically, McCready believed that Nassar was performing a legitimate medical procedure." McCready indicated Meridian Township did not have the money to consult a doctor. He states, "You just can't walk into a doctor's office and ask them questions about something like this." He said it was not up to the police department to obtain expert witnesses, and it was up to the prosecutor's office to do so if deemed necessary for court. After the interview with Larry Nassar, McCready states he was leaning toward closing the complaint. McCready stated, "Nassar had explained the procedure as being legitimate, therefore, not a crime." McCready indicates he did not reach out to his supervisor or anyone else in the department to discuss other possible options on how to proceed."

-Why was the case not forwarded to the Prosecutor's Office? Was it standard procedure at the time for cases not to be forwarded to the Prosecutor's Office?

As stated in the report, "McCready indicates in his interview on February 6, 2019, quite simply, the report was not forwarded to the prosecutor's office "because I believed his lies." McCready was referring to Nassar's explanation and PowerPoint presentation as to the validity of the procedure. He states after Larry Nassar provided the 26 page PowerPoint presentation, he believed the procedure done by Larry Nassar was a legitimate medical procedure; therefore, it was not a crime. It was for that reason, he states, that the investigation was not forwarded to the prosecutor's office for review. During Chief Hall's (Ret.) interview, Hall indicated it was common practice to send investigations to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office for review at that time, although no specific policy or procedure existed. The report also stated that, "As part of this investigation, both Randall and Township Manager Walsh wanted to know if anyone involved in this investigation had any connection with Larry Nassar prior to this case, thus potentially affecting or influencing the outcome. All who were interviewed were asked if they had ever heard of, knew of, or had any association with Larry Nassar, either personally or professionally, or if any family members knew of him. No one interviewed indicated they ever heard of Larry Nassar prior to this case in 2004."

Randall-Gay has issued a statement that will be made available at the press conference held today at Meridian Township at 11:00 am regarding the findings of the report. Both Township Manager Frank Walsh and Police Chief Ken Plaga will be present to answer questions at the press conference.

At the December 11, 2018 Township Board meeting, the Board approved the Investigative Services Contract with Kenneth Ouellette Investigations L.L.C. and Brianne Randall-Gay in the amount of $3,000 with a not-to-exceed amount of $4,500. The investigation was expected to be completed in 60 days. Stated in the December 7, 2018 Investigative Services Agreement memo by Township Manager Walsh, "Mr. Ouellette is retired from the East Lansing Police Department and is considered to be an outstanding private investigator in the Lansing region."

Township Manager Walsh also stated in that same memo to the Board, "In order for everyone to reach closure, Brianne needs to fully understand the process of the investigation
and what should have occurred to stop Nassar. The results of the external investigation will shed more light on closure."

According to the report, all but two individuals agreed to be interviewed who were requested to do so. One employee contacted by phone, who was retired, respectfully declined to be interviewed. The other individual, also retired, never returned this investigator's call.