BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Telephone: (269) 467-5617

125 Main St.

P.O. Box 277
Centreville, MI 49032-0277

September 29, 2020

Governor Gretchen Whitmer

P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, Michigan 48909

Dear Governor Whitmer,

As the Board of Commissioners of St. Joseph County, we are responsible for ensuring appropriate
use of taxpayer dollars. We are writing to notify you of a concern that we have regarding such use with
respect to the continued payment of a salary to our County Prosecutor, John McDonough.

As you may know, Prosecutor McDonough was arrested on May 11, 2020 after he was involved in
an accident while operating a motor vehicle. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle while
impaired and with possession of open intoxicants in the motor vehicle. The dual blood alcohol content
(BAC) tests performed found that he had a BAC of .06 and .07. The charges are still pending.

It has recently come to our attention that on September 14, 2020, Prosecutor McDonough was
arrested again for allegedly violating the conditions of his bond. The next day, September 15, 2020, he
was arrested yet again for violating the conditions of his bond.

In addition to these arrests, Prosecutor McDonough was absent from office on May 12, 2020 and
has not physically returned to the office since. During that time, it is our understanding that he was not
performing any duties of his office.

We believe that it is imperative that we bring these issues to your attention at this point. We have
received complaints from numerous citizens regarding this issue and we must take action, however we
recognize that we are constrained in our options under Michigan law. Therefore, we are asking for
guidance from your office as to appropriate next steps. We have also copied the Attorney General on this
letter in the hope that she may be able to assist as well.

We look forward to receiving a response at your earliest opportunity.

CC: Dana Nessel, Michigan Attorney General