Traverse City Record-Eagle

March 12, 2010

Officer sanctioned for undisclosed incident

BY BRIAN McGILLIVARY

TRAVERSE CITY -- Traverse City Police Officer Joseph Soffredine lost at least two weeks of pay for an undisclosed downtown incident, and the news likely will get worse next week when he may be cited for an off-duty car crash.

The Traverse City Police Department suspended Soffredine without pay retroactive to Feb. 28 for a late night incident that occurred in a city restaurant.

Police Chief Mike Warren informed Soffredine, 38, of his decision Thursday afternoon. Warren declined to detail the length of the suspension or other sanctions the department took against Soffredine.

Warren said the city's internal investigation of the restaurant incident uncovered nothing to warrant a criminal complaint against Soffredine.

"We had an incident, we tracked down numerous people, we talked to them, and some of the conduct that night was the kind that won't be tolerated by the department," Warren said. "This is not only a punishment, but an effort by the department to correct this type of behavior to make sure we don't have it occur again."

Warren declined to discuss the "behavior" or details of the incident late Feb. 6 at the House of Doggs restaurant on Union Street in Traverse City. He confirmed Soffredine had been drinking alcohol across the street at Dillinger's Pub, but said he doesn't know if Soffredine was intoxicated.

No other police officers were with Soffredine that night, Warren said.

Hours later, at about 3:20 a.m., Soffredine ran his Dodge Durango off Cedar Run Road in Garfield Township. He subsequently overheated and ignited his vehicle by continually revving the accelerator in an attempt to free himself.

The Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department continues to investigate the Cedar Run incident and is expected to take action against Soffredine next week.

City police began their investigation on Feb. 17 after a woman reported an assault had occurred at the restaurant. Warren placed Soffredine on paid leave the following day.

Warren said the investigation determined there was no "fight" at the restaurant and police won't forward a report to the county prosecutor for his review.

But Prosecutor Alan Schneider said he will request the report. He's already received a copy of the county's internal investigation into the deputies' handling of Soffredine's crash.

"If I'm going to look at this I should look at everything I can," Schneider said.

Soffredine, 38, the son of longtime city police chief and current city Commissioner Ralph Soffredine, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The elder Soffredine said his son "feels really bad about this."

Ralph Soffredine said he's not phased by the controversy after 40 years of public service and said his son will have to take responsibility for his own actions.

"He's a grown man and he has to stand up for what he's done," he said.

Reporter Sheri McWhirter contributed to this report.