Shiawassee County Sheriff Brian Begole announced Monday that his office will not enforce Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order that was announced last week.
Begole posted a written statement on Facebook sharing his office’s position on the governor’s extension order after many local businesses and residents reached out regarding the matter.
Because “the Michigan Legislature did not extend the state of emergency beyond April 30,” Begole said the legality of the order would have to be determined by the judicial branch.
“It is our responsibility to serve and protect the citizens of Shiawassee County to ensure their rights as described in both State and Federal Constitution,” Begole wrote.
“With limited resources, staffing and facilities, our priority focus will be on enforcing duly passed laws for the protection of Shiawassee County citizens,” he said.
“I have decided, within my authority, that our office cannot and will not divert our primary resources and efforts towards enforcement of the Governor Whitmer’s executive orders.”
The Michigan stay-at-home order was initially slated to expire on April 30 to protect residents from the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, a novel coronavirus that emerged from China late last year.
Gov. Whitmer later extended the date to May 15 and extended it again last week to May 28.
The extension allows fewer restrictions on certain businesses, and employees of manufacturing plants are allowed to return to work.
“This is good news for our state, our businesses, and our working families,” Whitmer told reporters last Thursday. “We’re not out of the woods yet, but this is an important step forward on our MI Safe Start plan to re-engage our economy safely and responsibly.”
There are more than 47,500 cases of COVID-19 in Michigan as of Monday, according to state data. More than 4,500 people have died from the CCP virus.
