Michigan Sheriff details what he says is the complete failure of adult protective services and CPS.
Sheriff Details Neglect Cases, Calls for Accountability
LANSING, Mich. — Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough delivered a blistering critique of Michigan’s Child Protective Services (CPS) and Adult Protective Services (APS) during a state House of Representatives oversight hearing, accusing the agencies of neglecting vulnerable residents in two Monroe County cases.
Goodnough detailed the plight of Daisy Arthur, 6, Donald Arthur, 5, and Ronald Montgomery, 82, all from Bedford Township, slamming CPS and APS for inaction. He cited “unethical” and “dishonest” practices documented in state audits from 2018 and July 7, 2024.
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In November 2023, deputies found the Arthur children living in a tent with their mother, who was battling cancer, and their grandfather. CPS deemed the tent—equipped with a mattress, food, and heater—“adequate,” despite the children’s 18-month absence from school. Follow-up calls in December 2024, when the family remained in the tent, yielded no CPS action. By April 16, 2025, the family was living in a car on Pleasant Road. The young girl had severe lice, and both children hadn’t bathed since Christmas.
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Deputies disinfected their office due to the children’s condition and secured motel accommodations, clothing, and food through a local church. CPS did not respond, Goodnough said.
In March 2025, deputies checked on Montgomery, an 82-year-old widower, after a citizen’s concern. They found him in a home with no running water, a caved-in roof, a propane heater, and animals, including raccoons and rats. Feces in the bathroom forced deputies to decontaminate. Montgomery hadn’t bathed or changed clothes in a decade, surviving on Circle K meals.
APS dismissed intervention, stating they “can’t tell people how to live.” Goodnough’s team arranged a motel, meals, and township support for Montgomery. A guardian was appointed after an emergency court hearing, and on April 30, 2025, he was moved to Fairview County Home for eventual assisted living.
Goodnough called a 2018 CPS audit “unfavorable” and the 2024 audit’s findings of “unethical” and “dishonest” practices damning. He accused CPS of closing 90% of cases without investigation, burdening his office. His detective juggles 15 to 20 open neglect or abuse cases, many unaddressed by CPS.
“If a report hit my desk with those words, the problem would be fixed,” Goodnough said, advocating for termination, training, or prosecution to address systemic failures. He vowed to deploy all resources to reform the agencies.
As a Michigan Sheriffs Association board member, Goodnough believes other sheriffs share these concerns. He offered to collect input from Michigan’s 83 sheriffs via joint or individual letters to the committee.
“This is unacceptable,” Goodnough said. “I’m on a mission to prevent tragedies.”
I have reached out to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and have not yet heard back from anyone. It’s important to note, they were not invited to speak at the hearing.
Sadly I ran into that many times in my 21 years in Hospice as a clinical social worker.
Told many times people have a right to live how they choose when it came to elderly.
My favorite as a mandated reporter was to make reports only to receive letters back telling me nothing found despite my report of abuse, neglect, and exploitation
Same in Genesee County. CPS deemed that pulling a childs teeth with plyers was not abuse because they needed to come out per the parent. If they need to be pulled with plyers they are not ready to come out. The childrern were eventually removed and parental rights terminated after years of cases and reports to CPS.