COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Comstock Township board members voted against a motion to terminate Deputy Fire Chief Michael Dyer during Monday night's meeting.
The motion, introduced by Supervisor Benjamin Martin, failed in a 4-3 vote, with the majority of the board agreeing to allow Dyer to stay on the job while his legal case plays out.
Dyer is charged with one count of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury after he allegedly hit an 11-year-old girl with his car on June 22.
“It was a truck that came flying. Next thing you know, I was on the floor,” La'Shae Parker told FOX 17. “It was real scary."
Parker's mother told FOX 17 that she suffered several broken fingers, her leg required surgery and now has metal screws inside.
On body camera video during the arrest, Dyer is heard admitting to Kalamazoo County deputies that he had been drinking before the crash.
Test results later showed that Dyer blew blood alcohol levels of .158 and .146 in a pair of breathalyzer tests at the Kalamazoo County Jail the night of the crash.
Michigan's legal limit for drunk driving is .08 blood alcohol level.
During Monday night's meeting, the board talked about Dyer's criminal case and his employment for about 15 minutes — noting that Dyer does not currently have a valid license that would allow him to drive fire trucks regardless of whether he's convicted.
One board member who voted in favor of terminating Dyer said it wasn't worth kicking the can further down the road.
"I don't have an issue waiting, but I think we're putting off the inevitable, and I would like to see, not terminate him, but I would like to see him quit on his own for all of his years of service," said Treasurer Sandra Bloomfield.
Dyer is currently on unpaid leave. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
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