homeowners for furnishing alcohol to minors. It also claims Longton said he would refer them to Child Protective Services if the witness continued cooperating with investigators.

After Dalpiaz reported what she believed was witness intimidation, the lawsuit claims the suspect's mother filed a citizen complaint against her. Dalpiaz says that complaint triggered an investigation into her conduct, resulting in her demotion and a two-day suspension.

The full details of the lawsuit are available here.

Residents demand independent investigation

For several weeks, residents have been calling for an independent investigation into the claims made in the lawsuit. A petition with more than 300 signatures asked Michigan State Police to get involved.

Former Township Trustee Kyle de Beausset, who started the petition, said he learned of the state police investigation after reaching out directly to Prosecutor Kym Worthy's office. He declined an on-camera interview with Local 4 but shared his reaction on social media.

 That independence is what I believe the vast majority of us wanted, and I hope it marks the beginning of restoring some of the public trust that has been lost,  de Beausset wrote in the post.

Township, police officials decline to comment

Local 4 reached out to Police Chief Todd Brozek and Longton Thursday but did not receive responses. Township Manager Derek Thiel also declined to comment.

Michigan State Police said they could not provide details about the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

Attorneys for Dalpiaz also had not responded to a request for comment as of Thursday evening.