Layoffs at Stellantis • Doctor arrested for painkiller fraud • Man found guilty in death of Eastern Market CEO's wife

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT – Nearly 200 Stellantis workers in Sterling Heights are being laid off.

Stellantis announced it would lay off nearly 200 workers at Sterling Heights Assembly this weekend, most of whom had been hired to cover increased summer vacation entitlements.

The automaker said the second measure includes a “full implementation” of UAW layoffs “across its service area.” There is no final number of jobs eliminated or a timeline.

Stellantis says this is to protect the company from market uncertainties while continuing to produce affordable cars and trucks.

Jan Griffiths, a former automotive supply chain manager, commented on the layoffs.

“With this statement, they have completely paralyzed the company through fear,” she said. “When you talk about indefinite layoffs, ongoing evaluations of manufacturing processes and footprints, it means that Stellantis is on a high. This is a very aggressive move.”

Stellantis had previously announced the end of an important shift at Warren Truck, cutting almost 2,500 jobs. Now a possible strike is looming.

Doctor arrested for painkiller fraud

A neurologist's painkiller scam was foiled by police in Taylor on Tuesday morning.

The 78-year-old doctor is accused of prescribing painkillers to thousands of patients who did not need them.

While being arrested by police, the doctor told FOX 2 he was “shocked” because he “had done nothing wrong.”

“This is huge,” said Taylor Police Detective Phil Wengrowski. “Just getting him off the streets is basically the same as getting a drug dealer off the streets.”

Wengrowski has been working on the case for four years. The doctor is the second most prescriber in Michigan for drugs such as hydrocodone and ketamine.

“We received a tip about this a few years ago when a doctor was denied entry to a pharmacy near the Michigan-Ohio border because the pharmacy was selling too many controlled substances,” the detective said.

According to police, people traveled from across the Midwest to pick up their painkillers at the neurologist's office.

Man found guilty in death of Eastern Market CEO's wife

A jury this week found a Romulus man guilty on all counts after he beat the CEO of Eastern Market and his wife while drunk and under the influence of drugs last year.

Dan and Vivian Carmody were on their way to dinner on the afternoon of August 18, 2023, when Jacob Thomas Mraulak struck them on Lafayette near St. Aubin in Detroit, according to police. Dan was injured and required surgery, while Vivian died later that same day.

According to authorities, Mraulak drove the wrong way on two streets, ran a red light and drove on the sidewalk, striking the Carmodys.

After a four-day trial, Mraulak was found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol causing death, reckless driving causing death, driving under the influence of alcohol causing serious bodily harm and reckless driving causing serious bodily harm.

Strike deadline for River Rouge Tool & Die approaches

At the Ford River Rouge Tool & Die Unit in Dearborn, workers are expected to walk out of work Wednesday evening.

This came after the United Auto Workers announced a strike at the automaker last week.

The union said last week that the collective bargaining agreement for the more than 500 workers it represents expired over a year ago and no agreement has been reached. The main issues for workers and the UAW are wages, job security and work rules.

If no agreement can be reached by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, workers in Dearborn will picket.

Doctor sued for sexual assault and recording patients

Two class action lawsuits have been filed against Dr. Oumair Aejaz, accusing him of sexual assault and taking thousands of nude photos and videos of patients.

“What we know is that this was a very sick person, a monster,” said attorney Parker Stinar.

Stinar represents the victims, who currently wish to remain anonymous due to the embarrassing nature of the allegations.

Aejaz, who was a doctor in Rochester Hills but also practiced in other locations, was arrested in early August after allegedly placing hidden cameras in various locations, including bathrooms, locker rooms, hospital rooms and even his own home, where he filmed children as young as two in varying states of undress. He also allegedly recorded sexual encounters with numerous unconscious or sleeping women.

The extent of Aejaz's crimes is not yet known, but Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said the comprehensive investigation would take months.

DMC, Sinai Grace and Henry Ford Macomb are also named in the lawsuits.

Henry Ford issued a statement saying, “We continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement who conducted a security assessment of our building – in addition to a search we conducted. No unauthorized cameras or recording devices were found during those searches. Beyond that, we cannot comment on pending litigation.”

Live on FOX 2

Daily forecast

After the rainy Tuesday, today promises to be dry.

What else we observe

1. A man was shot and killed Tuesday morning following an argument outside a Detroit Meijer store on the corner of Eight Mile and Woodward.
2. The Oak Park Library is currently closed while it awaits inspection by a pest control company. The building was inspected due to concerns raised by patrons.
3. A dog in labor was locked in a Detroit garage after she gave birth to four stillborn puppies on Monday and her health rapidly deteriorated. The dog was rescued, but four of five of her puppies died.
4. Ann Arbor police are investigating after two Jewish students say they were attacked on the University of Michigan campus.
5. Tarik Skubal allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings as the Detroit Tigers took another step toward an unlikely postseason appearance with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

Tropical Storm Helene reaches almost hurricane strength on its way to Florida in the Caribbean

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Tropical Storm Helene is reaching hurricane strength just off the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula toward the Gulf of Mexico.

The eighth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to continue strengthening and is expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday. It will then rapidly intensify over the Gulf of Mexico and become a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) before making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, the NHC said.

If it stays on its forecast path, it would be the third hurricane in the last two years to make landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida (Hurricane Ian in 2022, Hurricane Idalia in 2023).

“As expected, the intensity continues to increase,” said Noah Bergren, meteorologist for the FOX 35 Storm Team. “This will be a destructive storm with catastrophic flooding in the Big Bend – much worse than Idalia and a very fast-moving hurricane.”