LANSING, Mich.– A technician who was contracted through a vendor to service the DataMaster DMT breath alcohol testing instruments for the Lower Peninsula was sentenced to jail time and probation recently for forging records for that equipment.
David John, 59, of Kalamazoo, was sentenced Monday by Judge Paul Bridenstine in Kalamazoo County 9th Circuit Court to 36 months’ probation with the first nine months to be served in the Kalamazoo County Jail with credit for one day served.
John pleaded guilty on Oct. 28 to all nine charges he faced:
- Three counts, forgery of a public record;
- Three counts, uttering and publishing; and
- Three counts, use of a computer to commit a crime.
“Mr. John’s crimes were not just a violation of his contractual obligations – his actions compromised the integrity and the public’s faith and confidence in the criminal justice system,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “His failure to uphold the trust placed in him by the people of this state is an egregious act of misconduct, and he will now be held accountable for that behavior. I am grateful for the work of our department’s Public Integrity Unit and the coordination and support of the Michigan State Police throughout this process to ensure the matter was handled with the public’s best interest at the forefront.”
John falsified three certifications for the DataMaster DMT instrument in the Alpena County Sheriff’s Department. Those false certifications were dated Nov. 14, 2019, Dec. 23, 2019, and Dec. 27, 2019.
Discrepancies in some submitted diagnostic reports came to light during a routine technical review by MSP’s Breath Alcohol Program on Jan. 2, 2020. After the issue was discovered, MSP temporarily removed all instruments from service and launched an investigation, notifying both its criminal justice partners and the public of its discovery.
