Facts will exonerate Michigan lawmaker who may face sexual assault and gun possession charges

LANSING, MI — The lawyer for a Republican state lawmaker facing possible sexual harassment and a weapons charge says the facts will vindicate his client.

Republican state Rep. Neil Friske of Charlevoix was released from Lansing police custody on Friday, June 21, as the Ingham County District Attorney’s Office called for further investigation before possibly filing charges.

“Representative Friske was released from custody without being charged with a crime,” Friske’s attorney Edwar Zeineh said Friday afternoon. “Representative Friske believes in God, in the American Constitution, and in the rights it provides to citizens, including due process, the presumption of innocence, and the right to counsel.”

“We look forward to the precise facts that will exonerate Representative Friske.”

Related: Arrested Republican congressman from Michigan could be charged with sexual assault and weapons possession

Friske was arrested around 2:45 a.m. Thursday after police responded to his Lansing neighborhood on reports that a man was walking around with a gun and that shots may have been fired. During the stop, officers learned that a woman may have been sexually assaulted, according to authorities.

The incident occurred in a residential area off Forest Road between Aurelius Road and I-496, where Ingham County property records show Friske owns a home.

On Friday morning, Lansing police asked Ingham County District Attorney John Dewane to file sexual assault, assault and aggravated weapons charges against Friske.

Dewane called for further investigation by Lansing police before possibly filing charges.

When Friske was released from the Lansing Police Department on Friday afternoon, Zeineh told Detroit Free Press reporter Paul Egan that they would conduct their own investigation to prove the congressman’s innocence during his first term.

“We will conduct a very thorough investigation and will be sure to provide our findings to the Ingham County District Attorney’s Office so they can make an informed decision not to prosecute Deputy Friske,” Zeineh told Egan.

After news of his arrest broke Thursday, Friske’s campaign called the timing of the incident “highly suspicious.” His team suggested the incident was related to Friske’s upcoming Aug. 6 primary against a Republican opponent who allegedly has “ties to the deep state.”

Related: Lansing police say Republican lawmaker arrested after reports of gunshots

Friske is serving his first term in the state House of Representatives and is up for re-election this year. He was elected in 2022 to the seat, which represents all of Charlevoix and Emmet counties, as well as parts of Cheboygan, Chippewa and Mackinac counties.

Friske has a challenger in the Republican primary on August 6: Parker Fairbairn.

Friske is a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and owner of Friske and Sons Property Management.

According to Friske’s biography, he is frequently involved in his local church and is a member of the National Rifle Association, Farm Bureau, Michigan United Conservation Clubs and Right to Life.