John Kelsey exonerated by victim's father

June 30, 2022

In December 2014, Ingham County deputy sheriff Grant Whitaker crashed and died while pursuing a speeder. In July of 2015, John Kelsey was sentenced to 20 to 45 years in prison for fleeing and eluding resulting in death (with time added for being a habitual offender).

Whitaker was driving between 110 and 120 mph on an uneven 2-lane blacktop at 2:00 a.m. A State Police crash reconstructionist testified at Kelsey's trial that dips in the road caused Whitaker to lose control and crash into a tree. Kelsey had no direct involvement.

Now Clyde Whitaker, Grant's father, says that the crash occurred because the car was rendered undriveable due to equipment failure. He said this in a March 22, 2022 piece written for the Stockbridge Community News. He doesn't say how he knows this, although he may have gotten it from me. I've reported on this website that there was an outstanding General Motors recall on the car for front lower control arms that could fracture and result in the loss of control of the vehicle.

Does Clyde have additional information? I've attempted to contact him, but he hasn't responded.

Even if the cause of the crash was equipment failure, it doesn't really exonerate John Kelsey. Michigan law says

If the violation results in the death of another individual, an individual . . . is guilty of first-degree fleeing and eluding, a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 15 years or a fine of not more than $15,000.00, or both. (Section 750.479a(5) of the Michigan Penal Code)

It doesn't matter what caused the crash. Michigan law says Kelsey is guilty simply because he was the one being pursued. However, the jury might have reached a different verdict had they known about the outstanding recall. As can be seen on the verdict form from the trial, their decision on the second count means they did not think Kelsey caused Whitaker's death:

The recall was issued in August 2012. The Ingham County Sheriff - at that time, Gene Wrigglesworth - had over 2 years to get the control arms replaced and did not do so. That quite possibly caused the death of Grant Whitaker. So although John Kelsey is doing the time, it was the Ingham County sheriff who killed Grant Whitaker.

Since I learned of the recall in December 2020, I've submitted several FOIA requests to Ingham County seeking evidence that the notice was received. They've turned up nothing. One problem is that the records on a vehicle go with it when it is sold or junked, and what was left of Whitaker's police cruiser - along with any evidence it may have included - was junked in February 2015, well before the July trial.

I have also written to Ingham County Commissioners Brian Crenshaw and Randy Schafer asking them to investigate the uncorrected recall; to Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon asking her to reconsider Kelsey's sentence; and to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel asking her to investigate why GM never followed up on the uncorrected recall. None have responded. Except for Schafer - a Republican - it looks like Democrats protecting Democrats.

I've written several stories on this case:

	1/13/2015	Who killed Deputy Grant Whitaker?
	7/27/2015	God's servant pays ultimate price, parents get $400,000
	12/15/2016	Overkill: Avenging the Death of Deputy Grant Whitaker
	2/15/2019	John Kelsey is serving a 20-year sentence for a 2-year offense
	12/22/2020	Defect may have caused crash that killed Deputy Grant Whitaker
	9/30/2021	John Kelsey nears 7 years in prison

Send comments, questions, and tips to stevenrharry@gmail.com or call or text me at 517-730-2638. If you'd like to be notified by email when I post a new story, let me know.

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