Ogemaw County sheriff officer killed in roll over accident while off duty.

"Michigan" OTSEGO COUNTY — An Ogemaw County Sheriff’s deputy was killed in a single-vehicle rollover accident in Otsego Lake Township Wednesday morning.



Michael Girard, 47, of Frederic was killed in the accident, which occurred on Old 27 South near Mancelona Road at around 8 a.m., June 17.

Girard was driving a 1993 Chevrolet four-door car. Authorities at the Michigan State Police Gaylord Post said he was alone in the vehicle at the time of the accident. Girard was not on duty at the time of the accident.

The accident is still under investigation.

Girard was a deputy for the Ogemaw County Sheriff’s Office for seven and a half years, according to Sheriff Howie Hanft.

Hanft said Girard had been off duty since May 22 after suffering an injury to his finger during an arrest of a drunk driver. The injury had become infected, and Girard had four surgeries as a result. He was on his way to a physical therapy appointment when the accident happened.

Hanft said Girard will be missed at the Sheriff’s Office.

“He was a great guy,” Hanft said. “He worked for four years as the school-liason officer. He was a great family man.”

Girard leaves his wife, Patricia, and five children.

Patricia said her husband was a great person.

“He loved his job with the Sheriff’s Department,” she said. “He was good at it. I’m almost speechless about him. He was a jack-of-all-trades. I never needed a repairman.”

Of the Girard’s five children, four are from Patricia’s previous marriage, and they range in age from 22-15. They had one child together, Michael, 5. Patricia said that Girard was a great father to all five children.

“He was a very good dad, an exceptional father,” she said.

Patricia told the Herald that she requested to Hanft that everything from the past week be recorded, so Michael can see what his father was like.

“He’ll remember him,” Patricia said. “But I want to show him what a great guy he was.”

The Girards have been married since 2002.

Girard’s funeral was held at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Grayling on Monday, June 22, and a full military service was performed graveside.

Hanft said there are different levels of funerals for deputies — active on-duty level 1 and active off-duty level 2. He said the Sheriff’s Association met and decided to give Girard a level 1 funeral, because the injury was a direct result of an incident that happened on the job.

Hanft said Girard was still a month or two from being able to come back to work.

A fund is being set up through Firstbank in West Branch for the family.

“The county’s going to cut off his insurance in a week and his wife has limited health insurance,” Hanft said.

Patricia said she would miss her husband very much.

“He was a great guy,” she said. “He will be severely missed.”

As of this time, there are no further details about the accident, and no cause is known.


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