What Should Have Happened
- A deputy without personal relationship to arrestee should have been assigned
- Official transport should have been documented with incident report
- Chain of custody and transport procedures should have been followed
- Supervisor should have recognized and addressed conflict of interest
What Actually Happened
- Close personal friend Duva was sent to retrieve arrestee
- No documentation was created at the time of transport
- Transport was handled informally outside standard protocols
- Union president's personal relationship to both Kings was not flagged as conflict
People Involved
Event Details
Event Summary
In the early morning hours following Marc King ’s OWI arrest, Damon Duva - a close personal friend of both King brothers - drove to Lapeer County to retrieve Marc King and transport him to the St. Clair County Detective Bureau.
Timeline of Events
~3:00-3:30 a.m.
- Damon Duva receives call from Phil Pokriefka about the arrest
- Duva contacts Mat King (Sheriff) and Scott Jones
- Duva leaves to drive to Lapeer County
~4:00-4:15 a.m.
- Duva arrives at Lapeer County Jail
- Retrieves Marc King
- Transports him to St. Clair County Detective Bureau
4:15 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
- Duva and Marc King remain at the Detective Bureau
- Scott Braun comes on duty
- Nathan Zuzga eventually relieves Duva
Why This Matters
The decision to send a close personal friend to retrieve the arrested deputy raises questions:
- Personal Relationship: Duva testified he had known Marc King for 15-20 years as a close friend
- No Documentation: No reports were created at the time documenting this transport
- Informal Handling: The matter was handled informally rather than through standard protocols
- Union President: Duva was the union president at the time, creating additional complexity
Sworn Testimony
In his deposition, Deputy Duva testified:
“I’ve known Mat King for probably around 20 years or more… We were partners for a while in the car.”
“I would think probably around 4, 4:15-ish” when asked about arrival at the Detective Bureau.
“Until 9:00… You sat there the whole time?… And he sat there the whole time?”