Former Ferndale Housing Director Pleads No Contest to Home Invasion & Drug Possession
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 22, 2015)
Deborah Wilson has waived her right to a trial and pled no contest to felony home invasion in the second degree and a charge of possession of a controlled substance, Oxycontin, of less than 25 g.
Wilson stipulated to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department report, wherein, police say, she admitted to having entered the apartment of a resident at Withington Apartments in Ferndale to steal the prescription medication while the resident was not home.
Wilson had been working for the Ferndale Housing Commission for 27 years. As Director she was responsible for oversight of housing programs that included two apartment complexes with 125 units for senior and disabled individuals, 43 family houses throughout Ferndale and a Section 8 program that serves people in Oakland and Wayne Counties.
She was arrested on Nov. 3 coming out of an apartment with a resident’s Oxycontin pills. The charge was for only that instance, but residents say it was an habitual problem at the Withington Apartments.
The prosecutor offered a recommendation of probation, restitution, fines and costs. The no contest plea was accepted, and sentencing is set for Feb. 26. In the meantime Wilson is expected to report to the probation department and follow their requirements.
Judge Denise Langford-Morris noted that pleading no contest is still considered a conviction.
The Ferndale Housing Commission is undergoing introspection and changes in the wake of Wilson’s departure. HUD will be coming in to do a thorough review of the program’s finances, infrastructure, policies, etc. The Commission also was recently encouraged to begin having public comment at meetings, to have a more transparent budget process and to revise a policy that was an impediment to people in the section 8 program. To read about the issues and changes facing the Commission, see https://oaklandcounty115.com/2015/01/21/hud-review-coming-and-changes-happening-at-ferndale-housing-commission/.
Previous articles:
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/06/19/protesters-claim-racism-in-ferndale-housing-commission-dispute/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/11/06/housing-director-arrested-on-suspicion-of-entering-apartment-stealing-pills/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/11/20/seniors-hope-to-regain-their-voice-as/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/12/22/directors-arrest-just-tip-of-housing-commission-problems-video/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2015/01/21/hud-review-coming-and-changes-happening-at-ferndale-housing-commission/