DeWitt Twp. police officer hurt on the job reinstated after public outcry about firing
A DeWitt Township police officer fired after being injured on the job has been reinstated after a large public outcry.
Officer Bob Stump, 40, was fired several weeks ago, about two years after he suffered life-threatening injuries in an on-duty crash. He is still awaiting a hip replacement surgery but had planned to go back to his job once he healed from that.
His wife, Molly Stump, wrote a letter to the DeWitt Township Board of Trustees about her husband's firing and her posts about it on Facebook drew hundreds of comments and shares.
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Molly said the "emotionally charged" township board meeting Monday was standing room only and people she and her husband didn't know came to speak in support of Bob.
Bob was re-sworn in Monday night, Molly said, and they are cautiously optimistic the township will fix things. The board said they would extend his roster status with the department for a year once they can verify his hip surgery.
"He was sworn back in as an officer," Molly said, "which is what he deserved. We are hopeful for the future."
DeWitt Township Manager Andrew Dymczyk did not respond for comment Tuesday. Last week, Dymczyk said he could not comment on personnel issues.
"We are forever grateful for Officer Stump’s 14 years of service and dedication to serving our residents. We wish him continued success in his recovery," Dymczyk wrote in an emailed statement.
Bob has been on medical leave since January 2020, when police say a suicidal woman rammed her vehicle head-on into his cruiser during a police chase. His hip socket was shattered in the crash and a surgeon pieced it back together with bolts, screws and plates, Molly said. He will need a replacement before going back to work.
His surgery is scheduled for May, Molly said. They found that out just weeks before Bob was fired.
Molly said Dymczyk told her husband that two years was enough time to heal and they needed to fill his position with someone who could be on the streets. She said they had no warning of this before the February conversation.
Molly said the township promised to review why Bob was fired. She hopes this will ultimately lead to no one else having to go through this in the future.
"It was incredible to see the amount of people there in support of Bob and wanting to change what happened," Molly said.
The woman who police say struck Bob with her vehicle, Randi Justice, pleaded no contest to two counts of felonious assault and one count of assaulting a police officer.
Justice initially was charged with 10 felonies, including attempted murder and reckless driving. Seven of the 10 charges were dismissed as a part of a plea agreement.
She is set to be sentenced March 7.
Contact reporter Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: DeWitt Twp. police officer hurt on job reinstated after public outcry
