MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Newly-elected Macomb county Prosecutor Peter Lucido will officially be sworn in soon, but he’s already getting to work.
Lucido ran after former prosecutor Eric Smith resigned after being accused of embezzlement.
He has no legal authority until Monday, but Lucido has already taken over the office and hanging up new artwork is the smallest change.
The first change:- assistant prosecutor William Cataldo is no longer the chief of homicides. The position is being eliminated. It’s not that Cataldo was doing a bad job, Lucido wants more people working on large cases. Lucido said that has the best chance at getting justice for victims.
There’s also a newly created Conviction Integrity Unit -- a team dedicated to looking over warrant requests, instead of one person signing off on them.
The changes are made in an effort to repair public trust after the former prosecutor resigned accused of embezzlement and obstruction of justice. Smith is facing 10 felony counts.
Lucido said he’s not aware of any other employees involved in those alleged crimes, but did say there’s a difference between criminal behavior and unethical behavior
Lucideo said it will take time to rebuild the public’s trust in the office.
Warren police bust drug ring selling cocaine laced with fentanyl
A big takedown in the fight against the opioid epidemic happened Wednesday in Metro Detroit.
Warren police arrested three men and said more arrests are likely.
They believe the three taken into custody are the leaders of a ring selling cocaine laced with fentanyl that has killed three people in Warren.