Paul Whelan. (Photo: Facebook)
A probe into the past of accused spy Paul Whelan's suggests he was an "unpopular whistleblower embroiled in small-town squabbles and suffering petty indignities while working as a $7-an-hour, part-time police officer," Robert Snell of the Detroit News writes.
Whelan was detained last week in Russia on espionage charges and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Snell's story examines "whether the 48-year-old Novi man is a spy or an unwitting pawn entangled in an international incident."
The former Chelsea cop's response to a domestic dispute involving carnival workers in the mid-1990s doesn't quite say spy to us:
While on scene, Whelan was told a fellow officer had taken groceries left behind by carnival workers and drank the Faygo at the police station.
Whelan reported the incident to Chief Lenard McDougall.
The chief ordered Whelan to write a report and "keep his nose out of it," according to the whistleblower lawsuit.
In a deposition, Whelan alleged he was bullied for whistle-blowing.
"Threats of physical harm … also harassing remarks and condescending remarks about the thin blue line …”
Officers laughed at him for carrying two pairs of handcuffs, Whelan said.
“I was harassed and made fun of, some behind my back, some not behind my back," Whelan alleged.
He blamed one colleague for defacing his department photo by scratching out his face.
