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Update: The Reilly family filed a federal lawsuit alleging Jeremy Kelley was given special treatment by deputies because his father, Sean Kelley, was a cop on the east side of the state. The suit names Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office Sgts. Dennis Luce and Chris Dill, along with Deputy Eric Tubergen. The family has also asked the sheriff’s office to launch an investigation into the police officers’ actions in the case. Finally, Pam Reilly, Rosemarie’s mother, told the Holland Sentinel she supports this action alert! Thank you to everyone who has taken the action. Keep going!
On November 6, 2016, 21 year-old Jeremy Kelley tracked down his ex-girlfriend, Grand Valley State nursing student Rosemarie Reilly, at a friend’s house. He dragged her outside by her hair, shot her multiple times in the torso as she tried to run, then turned the gun on himself. Both died on the scene.
It was a murder that never should have happened. Reilly had obtained a personal protection order against Kelley weeks earlier after he stalked her, threatened to kill her, threatened to kill himself, put a gun to her head, and physically assaulted her. After Kelley violated the restraining order at least 86 times, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s office issued a warrant for Kelley’s arrest on domestic violence charges. But they refused to enforce it and actually take Kelley into custody. Instead they mailed it to his house and left him alone. This was done because Kelley’s father, a police officer with the Bloomfield Township police department, lobbied the Ottawa County Sheriff’s office on behalf of his son. ” Jeremy Kelley even bragged to Rosemarie that “nothing was going to happen” to him for violating the protection order because his father had taken care of things.
Remarkably, none of the deputies involved in the case were fired for dereliction of duty nor was Jeremy Kelley’s father, Sean Kelley (who no longer works for the Bloomfield Township police). Seeking some small measure of justice, Rosemarie’s family has filed a lawsuit against the officers involved for the death and suffering they facilitated.
Please contact Sheriff Steve Kempker through one of the channels below with the following message (personalized to your liking):
I demand you fire Deputy Brandon Tubergen, Sergeant Chris Dill, and Sergeant Dennis Luce immediately. It absolutely disgusts me they are still employed by your office almost two years after failing to enforce the arrest warrant issued against Jeremy Kelley on charges of domestic violence. Instead, your deputies mailed the warrant to Kelley’s home and did nothing else, allowing him to retain his firearms and freedom. Because of their gross negligence, Kelley was able to stalk and kill Reilly in cold blood just days later. The 21 year-old shooter had a lengthy history of mental illness and violence that was well-known to everyone in the community. He was only allowed to avoid arrest because his father is Sean Kelley, who was an officer with the Bloomfield Township Police Department. Shame on you for showing favoritism to a fellow police officer like this when a young lady’s life was directly under threat. Now this promising young lady’s life has been snuffed out, and the Reilly family has been forced to seek some measure of justice through civil litigation. If you have even a shred of decency left in you and some measure of respect for the rule of law, terminate the employment of Dep. Tubergen and Sgts. Dill and Luce NOW and show the community you actually give a damn about victims.
Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Kempker
Phone: (616) 738-4000
Email: sheriffs.office@miottawa.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ottawacountydsa/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miottawa
Once you have contacted Sheriff Kempker, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!