MSP, AG’s officials search home of former Speaker Chatfield’s chief of staff

TUESDAY, Feb. 15 – Michigan State Police and officials from the Office of the Michigan Attorney General are involved in an action at the home of Rob Minard, who was chief of staff to former House Speaker Lee Chatfield.

MSP and AG officials are being tight-lipped about the action at the address in Bath Township, saying only that the two agencies are “working in conjunction” on “an ongoing investigation.” Property records from Clinton County show the property is owned by Mindard and his wife, Anne.

The Minards are considered a GOP power couple, whose income from Chatfield to run political campaign organizations has raised concerns. Anne Chatfield served as the director of external affairs for the House GOP during Chatfield's tenure. 

Chatfield has been under scrutiny for nearly a month now that stems from allegations by sister-in-law Rebekah Chatfield. She has accused Lee of sexually abusing her when she was 15 years old and attending the Northern Michigan Christian Academy. Rebekah Chatfield was a student at the time, and Lee Chatfield was a teacher.

As first reported by City Pulse, Rebekah Chatfield filed a criminal complaint with the Lansing Police Department in December alleging the abuse had started when she was 15 and continued through July 2011. LPD referred the case to the Michigan State Police, which has since begun coordinating a multijurisdictional task force including local and state law enforcement as well as the Attorney General’s Office.

Chatfield admitted having affairs with consenting adults, including Rebekah Chatfield, but he denied any sexual contact with minors, including his sister-in-law.

Rebekah Chatfield’s husband, Aaron, has also levied allegations of misappropriation of state and campaign funds. Those allegations were first reported by the online news magazine Bridge Michigan. The Michigan Campaign Finance Network has reported fundraising and spending by political entities operated by him that have also raised eyebrows and scrutiny — including payments made to Minard while he served as Chatfield’s chief of staff with a state paycheck rolling in.