Troubling issues seem to be mounting for Eaton County Sheriff candidate, Fred McPhail. Aside from the ongoing prosecution of his minor son as an adult for sex crimes; as recent as 2014, bankruptcy proceedings have been active for his personal finances. After obtaining several court filing documents from the United States Bankruptcy Court Western District of Michigan, some serious questions remain.

Unsecured liabilities exceeding sixty eight thousand dollars accrued via credit card purchases from several banks are listed on the summary sheet. This is aside from his first and second home mortgage. Mr. McPhail’s total assets listed are slightly over seventy one thousand dollars and that includes all of his claimed personal property.

Under penalty of law, all financial information including all assets are required to be truthfully and accurately listed so as to verify that the applicant is eligible for United States bankruptcy protections. 

Spending almost seventy thousand dollars using credit cards while having a six figure income and relatively little to show on the balance sheet in the form of assets, begs the question of what the money was spent on.

When Fred McPhail filed for bankruptcy he was the Chief Deputy of Eaton County. The Eaton County Sheriff Department has a CADILLAC Health Insurance Plan. How could anyone accumulate $68,000.00 in medical expenses with low co-pays?

How can the people of Eaton County put the trust and management of a multi-million dollar Sheriff’s budget in the hands of a person unable to manage his own?