Sex tape puts top Oakland County Lieutenant on hot seat
Porcus Ubiquitous
By JOHN WISELY and STEPHEN W. HUBER, Of The Oakland Press October 02,
2002
Harvey
October 2, 2002
PONTIAC - An Oakland County sheriff's lieutenant known for cracking
big cases and handling internal investigations may have provided the
most damning evidence against himself. Lt. William Harvey is suspended
with pay while commanders investigate a videotape that allegedly shows
Harvey having sex in the department's interview room.
Sources familiar with the matter said a commander found the tape in
Harvey's office about two weeks ago, while searching for a taped
interview Harvey had conducted in an unrelated sexual harassment
matter.
The encounters stretch back to 1996 and involve at least four
different women, two of whom are county employees, according to
sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Officials were tight-lipped about the matter Tuesday.
"I can confirm that there is an internal investigation, but under
department policy we do not comment on internal investigations," said
Capt. Michael McCabe. "We hope to wrap it up by the end of the week."
McCabe did say that there is no indication that any laws were broken.
Prosecutors reviewed the case and determined no crime was committed.
The investigation is to see if departmental policies were violated.
Harvey, who is married, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
If proven true, the allegations could severely tarnish and perhaps end
the 24-year career of one of Oakland County's best-known
investigators.
As a member of the department's Special Investigations Unit, Harvey
had a hand in cracking some of the county's most notorious murder
cases, including many where the trail had gone cold.
With a patient ear and a ready pack of smokes, Harvey conducted
interviews that lasted for hours. His easy, non-judgmental style
convinced many defendants to confess to some heinous crimes.
When 5-year-old Bobby Ogg Jr. was beaten and strangled in Brandon
Township in 1982, investigators suspected his mother, Diane Louise
Freitag, but there was not enough evidence to charge her.
Eight years later, Freitag appeared before a grand jury and denied the
crime again. Shortly after the grand jury testimony, Harvey and a
partner interviewed Freitag and got her to admit to the crime. She
later returned to the grand jury to correct her testimony and was
convicted of second-degree murder.
Harvey worked similar magic on McConnell Adams, the 21-year-old
Clawson man convicted of killing Birmingham ophthalmologist Deborah
Iverson.
The doctor was abducted in her Land Rover from a Birmingham parking
lot in May 1996 and later killed. Investigators worked the case
furiously throughout the summer and eventually caught up with Adams
and a co-defendant Anitra Coomer in December of that year.
After seven months on the lam, Adams confessed and told Harvey he
would give his own life to bring Iverson back to life. Adams was
convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison
without parole.
Gerald Atkins, a 29-year-old Wixom man who opened fire on co-workers
at the Ford plant in November 1996, also confessed to Harvey. Atkins
is serving life in prison with no parole.
Cornelius Copeland, the man convicted of murdering Birmingham KFC
manager Shirley Elko in March 1998, also confessed to Harvey and is
serving life in prison for first-degree murder.
But Harvey's role in the unit also gave him the thankless task of
conducting internal investigations on his fellow deputies. Police
departments across the county also tapped him to investigate their
wayward officers.
Some of the people investigated by Harvey lost their jobs. Others
faced discipline from their bosses. Now, Harvey is in the unfamiliar
position of being the subject of the investigation.
His future with the department was unclear late Tuesday. Harvey is 47
and has served a little more than 24 years. He needs 25 years to begin
collecting retirement benefits. Some county employees have been
allowed to purchase time toward retirement if they served in the
military. It's unknown if Harvey would qualify for such treatment.