A marijuana cigarette was discovered in Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer’s county-issued SUV last year, prompting county officials to seek outside attorneys to conduct an investigation.
When the sheriff’s office-assigned SUV was turned in to be exchanged for another vehicle in June 2025, a staffer reported finding the cigarette on the driver’s seat, according to three persons familiar with the incident who were not authorized to comment publicly.
They said the cigarette had been burned.
County laws forbid the possession or use of drugs, including marijuana, while on duty or in county vehicles. Marijuana consumption while driving is prohibited in Michigan, and it must be stored in the trunk or another inaccessible interior location during transportation.
The finding prompted Washtenaw County to employ a legal firm to investigate, but the investigation failed to pinpoint the cigarette’s origin or prove any breach of rules or policies, the individuals said.
In an interview with MLive, Dyer denied owning the cigarette and stated that she does not smoke marijuana.
“I know that when I turned the car in there was nothing in it, and no one had utilized or brought marijuana into the vehicle when I had it,” she replied.
Dyer declined to be interviewed by investigators, but her office did comply with the outside investigation, she said.
Dyer released a redacted version of the investigators’ report on Facebook early Thursday morning, before the story was published. She accused it of flaws and chastised county officials for commissioning it.
Washtenaw County Administrator Gregory Dill stated that the investigation was “ultimately inconclusive,” implying that there was no way to show how the marijuana ended up in the vehicle.
“The county takes allegations involving county property, employee or elected official conduct, or potential policy violations seriously, regardless of the individual involved,” he stated in a statement.
“Given the nature of the concern and the importance of maintaining public confidence in the integrity of the process, the County determined that it was appropriate to retain an independent outside investigator to conduct a neutral review of the matter,” Dill said.
The event is not the only one that has sparked concern among county lawyers.
An outside law firm is currently evaluating a case involving Jeremy Yono, a former Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office sergeant. He resigned in March while being investigated for having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, including sexual contacts while on duty.
The claims fueled a power struggle between county commissioners and Dyer, a first-term sheriff elected in 2024, over who manages human resources in her agency. She denies any personnel mismanagement.
The argument escalated in court last year when Dyer sued county officials, and it was eventually resolved with a legal settlement in late March.
The discovery of the marijuana cigarette preceded the legal fight.
According to Dyer, when she took office, she was given a black GMC Yukon Denali that had previously been operated by former Sheriff Jerry Clayton as a command car.
Dyer stated that she planned to return the SUV last year when she purchased a new vehicle. She stated that she searched the SUV and confirmed that it was empty, as did her assistant, before delivering it to the county for auction.
“The last time I had the vehicle, there was nothing in it,” she told MLive. “My assistant had checked the vehicle before I turned it in.”
The cigarette was discovered on the driver’s seat when a sheriff’s officer approached the vehicle later to drive it to another location, according to the sheriff.
Dyer said she didn’t know exactly how it got there. She stated her assistant is “almost positive” the car was locked and parked in a gated area at the Sheriff’s Office.
Dyer said she couldn’t be certain if anyone else had visited the vehicle before the employee discovered the cigarette.
Dyer criticized the county’s move to seek an independent probe as “unprecedented” and inconsistent with standard norms and processes.
“The sheriff’s office never allows marijuana in any county vehicle unless it is secured evidence in a recorded investigation,” she stated.
The sheriff described the county’s external inquiry as “pretty incomplete,” as it did not include an assessment of surveillance footage of the lot and key card usage, as well as an interview with a relevant sheriff’s office employee.
She refused to be interviewed or give a statement to authorities on the advice of her lawyer and because she knew she had “nothing to do with it,” Dyer said.
The sheriff first stated that the final report prepared by outside investigators with law firm Dykema Gossett in November could not be shared because it is protected by attorney-client privilege. The following morning, May 14, she shared it on Facebook.
Dyer maintained that the inquiry revealed “no wrongdoing” or policy violations.
Dill, the county administrator, stated that the investigation did not make a “definitive conclusion” regarding how the marijuana cigarette was found up in the vehicle.
He supported the county’s handling of the situation.
“Utilizing an outside investigator helped ensure that the review was conducted as objectively and professionally as possible, particularly given the high-profile nature of the matter and the importance of maintaining public trust in the process,” he stated.
“While the sheriff has indicated that she believes additional investigative steps could be taken, it should be noted that she declined to participate in an interview.”
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