A Detroit Police Department detective has been charged with driving the wrong way in Harper Woods and crashing into a vehicle while drunk, authorities said Monday, bringing to three the number of Detroit officers charged in recent months with alleged wrongdoing.
The news Monday of the arraignment in September of Detroit homicide detective Lariah Stevens came the same day Detroit's mayor and police chief touted a drop over 2025 in violent crimes in the first nine months of the year during a press conference.
In three separate incidents since July, two other DPD officers and Stevens are awaiting hearings for incidents they allegedly committed.
The three, who were off duty, have been charged with crimes outside of Detroit, two, including Stevens, for allegedly driving drunk and another for child abuse after his 3-year-old son had a loaded gun at his day care center.
Detroit police said Monday the department was "aware of incidents that occurred in other jurisdictions involving our officers while off duty. These incidents are actively being reviewed and if it is determined that the officer violated department policy or the law, that individual will be held accountable."
The incidents publicly reported include:
∎Stevens, who is accused of driving the wrong way and crashing into another vehicle allegedly while drunk Sept. 10 in Harper Woods, was arraigned Sept. 30. Stevens, 32, was charged with driving the wrong way on a one-way street, operating while intoxicated and possessing a firearm under the influence of alcohol.
If convicted, Stevens of Clinton Township would face a fine and two points on her driving record for driving the wrong way and up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $700 for operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a high blood alcohol content, and up to 93 days in jail for possessing a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
A judge set Stevens' bond at $1,000 and scheduled her next court hearing for Oct. 26. The judge banned her from consuming alcohol or using illegal drugs, and from possessing or purchasing a firearm.
"The officer is currently suspended while we actively review this matter," DPD said in a statement at the time. "If it is determined that the officer violated the law or department policy, that individual will be held accountable," the statement said. "The Detroit Police Department remains committed to transparency, accountability, and maintaining the public’s trust. We hold our officers to the highest standards — both on and off-duty — and remain unwavering in our commitment to the principle that no one is above the law."
∎Detroit Officer Brandon John Ely, 28, who is charged with fourth-degree child abuse after an employee of Childrens World Early Learning Center in Canton Township discovered Sept. 28 that his toddler son allegedly brought a loaded gun to the day care center and passed it around to classmates.
Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, 27, who resides with Ely, was charged with unsafe storage of a firearm. Ely posted $10,000 bail on Oct. 1. He was ordered to surrender the nine firearms in his home.
Detroit police officials have said Ely was placed on restricted duty with no firearms, pending the outcome of the case.
∎Detroit Officer Jalon Nelson, who was charged July 31 with operating a vehicle under the influence after he was found unconscious in the back seat of a running department truck near a White Castle in Redford Township. His blood-alcohol level allegedly exceeded the "super drunk" level while driving at 0.17.
Nelson, who has been on the department's media team, was placed on administrative leave following his arrest.