Fitzgerald Public School administrators arrested

On December 23, 2024By Littum

This story has been updated to include comments from Superintendent Hollie Stange’s attorney.

Fitzgerald Public Schools’ superintendent and another member of the administration were arrested Friday, according to a post on the school district’s Facebook account.

The post, signed by school board President Julia Yokel, gave no details about why or where the arrests were made. The school district serves the southwest corner of the town of Warren in Macomb County. It includes Mound Park Elementary, Schofield Elementary, Westview Elementary, PD Chatterton Middle School and Fitzgerald Senior High School.

The post indicates the school board has begun an “internal review” and will provide more details as they become “available and appropriate to share.”

The superintendent of Fitzgerald Public Schools is Hollie Stange, according to the district administrative contact page. Stange took up the position in October 2022. It is unclear who else was arrested on Friday.

William Barnwell, a criminal defense attorney based in Warren, appears to represent Stange. Barnwell provided a statement to the Free Press, on Stange’s behalf, after this story was first published online.

“My client is a dedicated educator and administrator with two decades of service, a mother of two young children herself, and is presumed innocent under the law of any charge to be arraigned Monday. She will be vigorously defended and looks forward to her day in court ,’ reads the statement.

Members of the district’s leadership did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the Free Press on Sunday.

Breaking news reporter Liam Rappleye can be reached at [email protected]