Videos showing hundreds of unmasked partiers drinking and dancing near a stage on a sandbar at Diamond Lake went viral, compelling the Cass County Sheriff’s office to forward possible charges to the Cass County Prosecutor for investigation.
A man who claimed to be the party’s lead organizer told MLive.com that the party has happened annually around July 4th for the last 30 years.
Even though the self-proclaimed organizer said he advised partygoers not to crowd the stage and to stay home if they had COVID-19 symptoms, crowds formed anyway. The gathering effectively violated Whitmer’s executive order banning large gatherings during the ongoing coronavirus epidemic.
“Outdoor social gatherings and events are permitted so long as people maintain six feet of distance from one another and the assemblage consists of no more than 100 people,” Whitmer’s order reads.
Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke told MLive that his office lacked the legal authority to enforce Whitmer’s order and is instead working with other legal offices in the state and county to help them pursue charges.
Although the party has become increasingly worrisome for Behnke’s office due to illegal acts of “excessive alcohol consumption, underage consumption of alcohol, public indecency, hazardous boating practices and a lack of public order,“Behkne added, “There was no way physically possible I could have broken that (party) up.”
Tiffany Brown, a spokesperson for Whither’s office said, “While most Michiganders safely enjoyed their holiday weekend, it was incredibly disappointing to see so many people gathering in large groups and not practicing social distancing.”
It’s unclear what specific penalties the party organizer could face. Newsweek reached out to the Cass County Prosecutor’s office for further information.
As of July 6, Cass County has had a total 164 confirmed coronavirus cases and six COVID-19-related deaths. However, Michigan as a whole has had a total of 73,401 cases and 6,225 deaths. The state’s number of new cases has started to trend back upwards after achieving a gradual decline from May 14 to June 15.
Whitmer’s strict stay-at-home orders became a rallying cause for conservative anti-lockdown protests at the state capitol and for death threats against the governor.
However, a recent study conducted by professors and epidemiology experts at Imperial College London and Oxford University found that Michigan’s order may have reduced its fatality toll by as much as 90 percent.
