White Michigan cop who was cleared of shooting dead a black man in 2009 is suspended for having Confederate flags and a framed application to join the Ku Klux Klan in his home after a black couple viewing his $315k home spotted them
A Michigan cop has been suspended after a house-hunting black couple noticed the officer had Confederate flags and a framed application to join the Klu Klux Klan hanging in his home, as they viewed the property.
Muskegon police officer Charles Anderson, 48, who is white, was placed on administrative leave, pending a city investigation, his wife Rachel confirmed to the Daily Mail.
Anderson, a 20-year veteran of the force who was cleared of fatally shooting a black man in 2009, and was ordered by his superiors not to comment during the probe.
'You don't know how much we wish we could say something,' his wife told the Daily Mail.
The investigation began after house hunters Reyna and Rob Mathis, who are black, stumbled on the hate-inspired memorabilia in Anderson's home, which is for sale for $315,000.
Rob Mathis posted on his Facebook page that the couple met their real estate agent for a tour of Anderson's home in Holton on August 7.
House hunter Rob Mathis posted a picture of a framed application to the Ku Klux Klan (above) which he spotted August 7 while touring Muskegon Police Officer Charles Anderson's house in Holton, which is for sale
'I’m seeing confederate flags on the walls the dining room table and even the garage. I’m thinking to myself as a joke I’m walking to the imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan‘s house right now,' wrote Mathis in the post.
Mathis reports that the couple then discovered a framed application to the Klan on the wall of Anderson's bedroom.
Mathis, knowing he was in a cop's home, said he and his wife shut down the tour and left in disgust.
'I feel sick to my stomach knowing that I walk to the home of one of the most racist people in Muskegon hiding behind his uniform and possibly harassing people of color and different nationalities,' wrote the house hunter.
Anderson is never identified in the Facebook post, but the officer has been put on notice.
'I know who you are and I will be looking at resources to expose your prejudice,' wrote Mathis.
A photo of the application was included with the post, which included the words, 'pictures speak 1,000 words.'
A Confederate flag and framed Klan application are visible in a real estate listing posted online.
Mathis did not respond to a message sent to him on Facebook.
A call to the Muskegon City Manager Frank Person was not immediately returned.
Anderson was cleared of fatally shooting Julius Johnson on September 23, 2009, according to the Muskegon Chronicle.
Johnson, 23, fled on foot with Anderson in pursuit after an early morning traffic stop. Both got into a scuffle that ended when Anderson shot Johnson.
Anderson was severely beaten in the head and had feared for his life when he opened fire, according to an investigation that by then Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague.
Anderson, who was cleared by Tague, could have died in the attack and was 'justified in using deadly force.'
However, several family members and the Muskegon chapter of the NAACP remained critical of the findings.