The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the criminal charges against former Highland Park Emergency Financial Manager Art Blackwell will stand and he will go to trial.
WXYZ-TV reports Blackwell had appealed a July ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals, which had reinstated criminal charges of embezzlement and misconduct in office, after a lower court dismissed the case against him.
The original criminal charges stem from Blackwell allegedly paying himself $264,000 when he was the Emergency Financial Manager of Highland Park. He allegedly was not authorized to pay himself. He was appointed by former Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Last year, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway dismissed the criminal case, saying Blackwell had the authority to write himself checks.
Blackwell is a longtime Detroit politician, having served as the chairman of the Wayne County Commissioners, an aide to former Detroit mayor Coleman Young and a candidate for mayor of Detroit. He grew up in Highland Park, where his father, Robert Blackwell, served as mayor for many years.
