He's been out of jail two months, but former Kent County Commissioner Gary Rolls could find himself back behind bars for an unpaid bill topping $32,000.
That's what he's been ordered to pay Michigan State Police for a criminal investigation that resulted in his conviction on a sexual assault charge involving a girl who lived in his Rockford neighborhood.
Kent County Circuit Court Judge Dennis Leiber ordered Rolls to pay $32,494 in restitution as a condition of probation. As of Friday, the bill remained unpaid.
"It's not uncommon when there's a lot of time and work involved in an investigation,'' said state police Lt. Chris McIntire, who submitted the invoice. "In this case, there was a lot of man hours and resources used.''
The tab covers 500 hours logged by 10 detectives in the CSC and evidence tampering case filed in November, 2013. Rolls was initially charged with six felonies, including first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
He pleaded guilty last May to tampering with evidence, using a computer to commit a crime and an amended charge of criminal sexual conduct, fourth degree. He was sentenced in June to a year in jail.
The Lion's share of the bill - nearly $27,900 - covers more than 396 hours logged by state police Detective Sgt. Denis Bentley, the lead investigator. If restitution is not paid by June 19, Rolls will have to appear in Kent County Circuit Court to explain why he should not be held in contempt.
"Multiple search warrants were drafted and issued throughout the course of the investigation that covered criminal sexual conduct and tampering with evidence as well as using a computer to commit a crime,'' Ionia County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Lori Kirkhoff wrote in a letter to the court.
A search of Rolls' computer indicated he tampered with evidence and the subsequent investigation resulted in many hours being logged by experts in computer forensics, Kirkhoff wrote.
The criminal investigation began in October, 2012 when the victim contacted police and said Rolls was harassing her. Over the course of the next year, investigators pieced together a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse that began when she was in grade school. The victim has since moved to Muskegon County.
Rolls was released from Montcalm County Jail in March and moved to Lapeer County on the east side of the state. He was jailed outside of Kent County because of his position as a county commissioner. According to the Michigan Sex Offender Registry, Rolls is living in the community of Attica, located west of Imlay City. His wife filed for divorce last year.
Rolls, a republican, served on the Kent County Board of Commissioners from 2002 up until his resignation in December, 2013. ..Source.. by John Hogan
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