Michigan GOP lawmaker facing possible sexual assault, assault, felony weapons charges
LANSING — Lansing police requested three felony charges against a Republican state lawmaker after he was arrested following a disturbance early Thursday morning, records show.
Records the Free Press obtained Friday through the online Michigan State Police criminal background service, the Internet Criminal History Access Tool, show police requested felony charges of sexual assault, assault, and a weapons-related offense against state Rep. Neil Friske, R-Charlevoix.
Friske, 62, who is being held at the Lansing police lockup, has not been arraigned and it is not clear those are the charges he will ultimately face. An arraignment is expected Friday or Saturday, though it is possible Friske could be released ahead of his arraignment if prosecutors require more time to make charging decisions. An attorney for Friske could not be reached.
Friske was arrested around 2:45 a.m. Thursday in the 2000 block of Windbreak Lane in Lansing, police spokeswoman Jordan Gulkis confirmed to the Free Press. Gulkis said officers were dispatched initially to the nearby 2100 block of Forest Road to respond to reports of a male with a gun, "as well as possible shots that were fired," she said in an email.
Gulkis said Friday she couldn't confirm any details about possible charges and the file is still with the Ingham County prosecutor's office. A call to the prosecutor's office was not immediately returned.
In a statement posted to Friske's Facebook page, his campaign called the arrest "highly suspect," adding "Friske is always exercising his 2nd Amendment right."
Friske is a first-term Republican lawmaker representing Michigan's 107th House District, which covers all of Charlevoix and Emmet counties and portions of Cheboygan, Chippewa and Mackinac counties, spanning across both peninsulas. He has filed for reelection and is seeking a second term in the House this fall. He is the owner of Friske and Sons Property Management, according to his website.
He is considered one of the more conservative members of the Legislature and is part of the House's Freedom Caucus. The caucus describes itself as "focused on traditional conservative values and individual liberty."
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on X, @paulegan4.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Rep. Neil Friske could face sexual assault, weapons charges
