An explosive lawsuit has been filed against a Michigan village and its school district, alleging severe misconduct and retaliation against a law enforcement officer. On December 3, 2025, Annie McShane lodged a complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan against the Village of Stockbridge, its council, community schools, board of education, and several officials.
The case centers around McShane’s tenure as a School Resource Officer (SRO) at Stockbridge Community Schools. Hired in March 2024 by the Village of Stockbridge Police Department, McShane was assigned to this position due to her law enforcement credentials. Her role was governed by a Memorandum of Understanding between the village and the school district. The trouble began on August 28, 2025, when McShane thwarted an attempted assault by a student who tried to grab her firearm. Despite reporting this serious incident to school authorities including Principal Jeffrey Trapp and Superintendent Brian Friddle, she faced resistance and was denied access to surveillance footage necessary for pressing charges.
McShane claims that both Trapp and Friddle violated Michigan School Code MCL 380.1311a by failing to report the assault to the school board—a requirement that could have led to the student’s expulsion. Instead of addressing her concerns, Friddle allegedly accused McShane of escalating situations unnecessarily and refused further cooperation.
The situation escalated when McShane reported these violations directly to Carrie Graham, President of the Stockbridge Board of Education. This action set off a chain reaction leading to alleged retaliatory measures from village officials Heather Armstrong and Jill Ogden who orchestrated disciplinary actions against her. Despite Interim Chief Joshua Howe’s attempts to mediate, he was pressured into disciplining McShane for insubordination after she contacted Graham.
The lawsuit outlines how these retaliatory actions culminated in McShane’s removal from her SRO position without proper cause or opportunity for defense. Her work schedule was erratically changed multiple times under new Interim Chief John Tyler’s supervision—an act perceived as harassment aimed at forcing her resignation. Eventually, overwhelmed by continuous scrutiny and baseless write-ups like one concerning body camera misuse triggered automatically during an office meeting—McShane resigned on November 14th.
In her suit filed through attorney Collin H. Nyeholt from Law Offices of Casey D. Conklin PLC., McShane seeks lost wages due to constructive discharge alongside compensatory damages for emotional distress caused by this ordeal; exemplary damages are also sought given defendants’ malicious intent behind their actions violating First Amendment rights under USC §1983 along with Michigan Whistleblower Protection Act provisions protecting employees reporting legal violations within public bodies such as educational institutions involved here too deeply entrenched systemic issues exposed via this litigation now pending before court docket number 25-cv-1621 presided over yet unnamed judge(s).
Source: 125cv01621_Annie_Mchane_v_Village_of_Stockbridge_Complaint_Western_District_of_Michigan.pdf
