People have used crowdfunding techniques for everything from funeral expenses to medical bills to helping families get back on their feet after a disaster.

Now a Sterling Heights resident is asking for the public’s assistance in helping him pay “exorbitant” amounts of money as he attempts to track down disciplinary records of a veteran officer who is a candidate for the police chief position.

Geoff Gariepy, a longtime member of the city’s planning commission, said he requested a report from both the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office and the Sterling Heights Police Department concerning a domestic violence incident involving interim Chief Kenneth Pappas and his now ex-wife that took place seven years ago.

The Sheriff’s Office provided the 2008 arrest report within a matter of days for free, Gariepy said.

“On the other hand, we have the City of Sterling Heights, which has been deliberately stalling, throwing up barriers of red tape, and demanding exorbitant amounts of money to gather simple information,” Gariepy wrote in his online GoFundMe message.

Gariepy says he asked the city for Pappas’ disciplinary record as well as any other alleged incidents involving the police administrator that he has been made aware of through various sources.

After a “long delay,” the FOIA requests to Sterling Heights came back with an estimated cost in excess of $2,400, Gariepy says. City officials explained the fee was for the time and labor the materials would take as well as additional time and labor for necessary redactions.

Gariepy said cost was unreasonable, but he narrowed his request down to lower the price. The city said the estimated cost would be about $643.

“The city appears to be hiding this man’s disciplinary record behind a wall of red tape and exorbitant fees,” he said in the GoFundMe narrative. “They don’t want us, the voters, to know the truth about the man some want to appoint as our next Police Chief. It’s an election year, and the truth would likely cause them to select another candidate for chief.”

Pappas did not respond to a phone call and email requesting comment.

He is now one of three candidates in the running to replace former Chief Dale Dwojakowski, who in December was appointed to serve as an assistant city manager for Sterling Heights.

Following Dwojakowski’s retirement from the department, Pappas was named interim police chief.

City spokesperson Melanie Davis said Sterling Heights is in the early stages of conducting what is a months-long process of selecting a new police chief.

“As is customary in any hiring, the city cannot comment on candidates who have applied in fairness to them and current employers, while honoring collective bargaining agreements,” Davis said.

Domestic violence arrest

The domestic violence arrest of Pappas took place in August 2008 at a residence where his now former wife, Kelly Pappas, was living in the 22 Mile/Heydenreich roads area of Macomb Township.

Pappas, 50, had sent “threatening and harassing” text messages and called her on her cell phone to further pester her, according to the report.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home for a report of an assault and battery on Kelly Pappas, according to the police report. At the time, the couple was going through a divorce, which was finalized in 2015, Macomb County Circuit Court records show.

Deputies wrote in their report that the incident included Pappas allegedly spitting in her face, putting her in a chokehold, throwing her to the ground, and dragging her outside where he threw in the bushes. He also threatened to kill her if she ever left him, deputies said.

The report stated Kelly Pappas had scratches on her leg, a 12-inch scratch on the inside of her thigh, and several small cuts and abrasions.

Kenneth Pappas told deputies he had come by the house out of concern for his wife “being suicidal” and an argument ensued. He declined to comment further, the deputies wrote in their report.

Pappas was arrested on misdemeanor domestic abuse charges. He was transported to the Macomb County Jail, where he was held in protective custody due to his employment.

When the matter came for a preliminary exam in 41-A District Court, Judge Douglas Shepherd dismissed the charges after his wife and another witness failed to show up for the trial, according to Macomb Daily reporting of the case.

Pappas had been placed on routine paid administrative leave after his arrest at, but was reinstated after the dismissal.

Defense attorney David Griem said Kelly Pappas did not show up because she did not want to press charges against her husband, and that it was the Sheriff’s Office who brought the charges.

A Sterling Heights police spokesperson told The Macomb Daily that Pappas was able to return to work after the charge was dismissed, but an administrative investigation was still ongoing, the newspaper reported at the time.

Time card scandal

Pappas was also among the 21 Sterling Heights police officers who were investigated and disciplined during the police time card fraud scandal in 2012.

The officers did not accurately report leave time on their time cards over a three-month period, officials said at the time. They were ordered to pay back the funds.

Gariepy, who has written lengthy blogs in the past about the state’s fourth-largest community, has questioned whether Pappas should be considered for the chief’s position given his involvement in the two incidents. That is why he is seeking access to city records to see what discipline was handed down to Pappas.

He told The Macomb Daily that the issues weigh on his mind as his 26-year-old daughter will be married this year. He said Kelly Pappas did not pursue criminal charges in court “like so many abused women do. That doesn’t mean the violence didn’t happen. Even absent a conviction in a court of law, the injuries sustained by the former Mrs. Pappas were real enough to be captured photographically.”

“Sterling Heights residents rely on the police department to protect our daughters from husbands who would choose to abuse them.” Gariepy said.

“By choosing our next Chief of Police, Council is responsible for picking leadership in the department that we can put our faith into. Given the choice of Mr. Pappas vs. any other candidate without an arrest for domestic violence, I would choose whomever was behind door #2, whether I knew him/her or not, just because of Mr. Pappas’ own arrest record.”

Gariepy said he launched the GoFundMe campaign to raise the money necessary to determining the truth of Pappas’ disciplinary record.

As of Tuesday, four people — including Gariepy — have donated $140 toward the $643 goal. He said any funds received in excess of the actual cost will be donated to a Gift of Life of Michigan.

In an update on his GoFundMe page, Gariepy said he is working with city officials to figure out how to make a good faith deposit on the FOIA. If a down payment is made, he hopes to have the information in about three weeks.