On the quaint island of Grosse Ile, a high-ranking police official has been accused of threatening a witness in a criminal investigation to protect a friend’s son from prosecution — a tactic that not only reportedly worked, but triggered an explosive lawsuit alleging mayhem of all sorts in this typically peaceful and picturesque community.
It started with a spring party in May at a million-dollar home on the island. A thief in a ski mask allegedly broke in overnight and stole $350. An investigation followed. The suspect was a teenage boy whose mom had a well-connected friend who allegedly made some calls to the right people.
In the end, the boy was never charged. Rather, the detective who investigated the case got demoted because, she alleges
in a Wayne County circuit court lawsuit, she blew the whistle on the well-connected friend: Grosse Ile Police Commission Chairman Scott Longton, who is accused of multiple wrongdoings in the lawsuit that plants a bullseye on the inner workings of the township’s police department.
“This case is about what happened to the first female police officer in the history of the Grosse Ile Police Department when she did her job,” states the lawsuit, which was filed on Aug. 19 in Wayne County Circuit Court on behalf of officer Susan Dalpiaz and her husband, Paul.
“In June 2026, Detective Susan Dalpiaz investigated a home invasion where $350 was stolen … The evidence was overwhelming: the juvenile suspect was captured on home surveillance video entering the victims’ home in a ski mask … and admitted on (police) body camera that he was the person on the video.”
The lawsuit alleges that Longton tried to derail that investigation by allegedly threatening a teen witness in an effort to silence him. Moreover, it alleges that Longton, a local mother, the police chief and deputy chief were part of a civil conspiracy that involved intimidation, fake witness statements and fake photos and video evidence — all to protect a teen boy from getting prosecuted, and to punish the detective who uncovered the alleged scheme.
Suit: Official unknowingly relayed threat to a federal agent
As police commission chairman, Longton's job is administrative in nature and involves overseeing the police department and managing personnel decisions. The police commission does not have authority over criminal investigations, charging decisions or contacts with witnesses, though the lawsuit claims Longton ignored all that when a friend's son ended up in trouble with the law.
According to the lawsuit, within days of the break-in, Longton called the father of a boy who witnessed the incident “and asked him to relay a threat: if his son continued as a witness” against the robbery suspect, the homeowners whose house was robbed would be charged with serving minors alcohol at their party that night.
Unbeknownst to Longton, the father he was talking to is a federal agent, who saved the phone records and reported the alleged threat to the homeowners. They, in turn, reported the threat to the investigating detective, Dalpiaz, who reported what she had learned to the police chief.
Two weeks later, Dalpiaz got demoted to 12-hour midnight road patrol, the lawsuit says.
Dalpiaz alleges this was classic retaliation for blowing the whistle on a police official who, she alleges, abused his power to protect a friend, and was protected himself by the higher ranks at the police department.
"Longton applied pressure through witness intimidation and through his back-channel communications to the department's command staff," states the lawsuit, adding the deputy chief and police chief "weaponized the department's disciplinary machinery" against Dalpiaz to protect their own.
"The township's asserted reasons for the discipline and successive investigations are a pretext," the lawsuit states, alleging the "actual reasons" she was demoted were many: She reported Longton, the department wanted to protect "Longton and his associates," Dalpiaz is a woman, and she challenged authority over her demotion.
In her lawsuit, Dalpiaz also is alleging sex discrimination, saying she has been treated differently "from every man who had held the position" of detective; that she alone was ordered back to 12-hour road patrol for seven months, performing two jobs, while her male counterpart was not; that she was denied systems access, equipment and assignments afforded to male detectives; and that she was removed from duties and passed over for others in favor of men no better qualified.
Dalpiaz and her husband both declined to comment beyond what's alleged in the lawsuit for this story.
Longton laughs at lawsuit: 'Oh Jeez ... that's funny'
As of Thursday Aug. 20, Longton said he had not yet seen the lawsuit. When a Free Press reporter informed him that he was being sued by Dalpiaz, he said: “She’s one of our police officers who is crooked” and is being "looked at" by the police department. He did not elaborate.
When informed of the allegations against him, Longton laughed and made comments that included “Oh Jeez” and “that’s funny.” After the Free Press forwarded him a copy of the lawsuit, he did not respond.
Township Manager Derek Thiel declined comment, citing policy not to comment on pending litigation. Grosse Ile Police Chief Todd Brozek also declined to comment.
The Free Press also reached out to the family of the teenage boy accused in the break-in and explained the allegations detailed in the lawsuit. The father would only say: “What is alleged is false … That’s not the story at all.”
The homeowners who threw the party declined comment. The federal-agent-dad who allegedly got the threatening phone call from Longton could not be reached for comment.
Island Fest house party gets ugly
According to the 37-page lawsuit, here is a timeline of the events that drove the island's first female police officer and detective to sue:
On May 30, 2026, Grosse Ile was hosting its annual community party called Island Fest, during which a family in a big house throughs a big party. A half dozen teens were there, including a boy who allegedly was captured on video assaulting his girlfriend in the kitchen area, and who had to be restrained in both the front and back yards following "several violent outbursts that night."
Sometime after midnight, that same teen returned to the house where the party was held. He parked his car out of surveillance range, walked to the home and broke in wearing a ski mask, "which was captured on home surveillance video," the lawsuit states. While in the house, the boy allegedly stole $350 that belonged to another teen. He was also confronted by another teen during the break in.
Video also captured the boy leaving the house in a ski mask. The teen witness who reportedly saw him there also confirmed he was gone.
Five days later, the police would interview the suspect.
On June 5, Dalpiaz, the detective assigned to the case, interviewed the teen boy in the presence of his mother and a lawyer. The teen "admitted that he was the individual caught on the surveillance video entering and leaving" the home in question. Four days later, Dalpiaz submitted a juvenile petition against the boy for home invasion, domestic violence and larceny. A warrant packet was submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
Suit: Police commission chairman 'intimidates' witness
On June 1, a day after the break-in, Longton, the police commission chairman, telephoned the father of the teenage boy who had witnessed the break-in, and confronted the suspect.
"Longton told (the dad) that if his son ... continued to be a witness in the home invasion against (the suspect), Longton would pursue charges against the (homeowners) for furnishing alcohol to minors and would refer them to Children's Protective Services," the lawsuit states, adding that Longton also told the dad to pass along his message to the family that hosted the party.
According to the lawsuit, unbeknownst to Longton, this dad he was talking to is a federal agent who saved his telephone records and a screenshot of Longton's voicemail documenting their communications, and eventually provided these records to Det. Dalpiaz. The dad also conveyed Longton's message to the family that hosted the party; that family then contacted Dalpiaz, who would eventually take the information to the chief of police.
Suit: Mom and Longton try to derail detective's investigation
On June 5, 2026, the same day the teen suspect allegedly admitted on the detective's body camera that he was the intruder, Longton and the mom allegedly set out to obstruct the investigation, according to the lawsuit. First, Longton emailed the deputy police chief and falsely accused the family that hosted the party of serving alcohol to minors, a claim that was investigated and determined to be false.
The mom had provided police photos and videos of teens drinking at a party, but it turned out that those photos and videos "were from a different day altogether — a fact confirmed by (the deputy police chief) in his report," the lawsuit states.
Eight days after accusing the homeowners of supplying alcohol to minors, the boy and his mom lodged a formal complaint, alleging that another teen had assaulted him on the night of the party. They obtained witness statements from two other teens, who would later confess to Det. Dalpiaz that they made those statements at the direction of the mom and her son, and that they were false.
Dalpiaz disclosed all of this information to the prosecutor's office. The case was eventually closed. Meanwhile, the mom would pursue a citizen's complaint against Dalpiaz, accusing her of, among other things, conducting a "one-sided" or "biased investigation."
Internal investigation leads to demotion
On June 30, 2026, Deputy Chief Kevin Counts issued a report that found "every" allegation against Dalpiaz unfounded, except for the biased investigation claim. That was upheld, and would eventually lead to discipline.
On July 1, she was placed on administrative leave. On July 8, she was given a two-day unpaid suspension and reassigned to a 12-hour night patrol.
Dalpiaz said she was baffled by the move, given the deputy chief had concluded that her handling of the home invasion was "reasonable and proper;" that he, too, concluded minors were not provided alcohol at the party; that her concerns over Longton allegedly threatening to prosecute the homeowners were "understandable and reasonable;" and that if Longton's statements to the federal-agent-dad were in fact accurate, that "could reasonably be interpreted as an official statement of intended action coming from the Grosse Ile Police Department."
Despite all this, the lawsuit notes, the police department disciplined the investigating detective, "and took no action of any kind against" Longton, or the mom and her son.
To date, the lawsuit states, "no investigation of any kind has ever been taken" concerning Longton.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lawsuit: Grosse Ile police official threatened witness to help a friend
