Ex-prosecutor loses appeal over lawsuit tied to painkillers

ROGERS CITY (AP) — A former northern Michigan prosecutor who sued police after he was charged with prescription drug fraud has failed to persuade an appeals court to revive his lawsuit.

Richard Steiger said his rights were violated because police had no probable cause to arrest him. But in a recent 2-1 decision, the appeals court said police relied on the independent judgment of the attorney general’s office when the charge was filed.

Steiger was the Presque Isle County prosecutor when he was charged in 2011. He acknowledged getting painkillers from more than one doctor, but the doctors knew it. He had a history of arthritis, chronic headaches and sinus problems.

A District Court judge dismissed the criminal case against Steiger.