Former Jackson City Council Member Andrew Frounfelker appeared in a Jackson County courtroom Friday for a pre-trial hearing involving assault charges for allegedly beating up his girlfriend.
In addition to being placed on unpaid leave from his job at Consumers Energy, Frounfelker resigned from the council in June, leaving the fifth ward seat open.
Frounfelker is charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm or assault by strangulation.
His trial is set to begin September 10th in Jackson County Circuit Court.
Mayor Derek Dobies told FOX 47’s Cryss Walker city leaders are having a hard time finding a replacement.
According to Dobies, council decided to continue their search for a new fifth ward member after they failed to come to an agreement during a special meeting that was supposed to end with an appointment.
“We kind of ended the voting series in a bit of a quagmire trying to figure out what to do next”, Dobies said.
“Ultimately we decided to go back out for 30 days, resolicit applications and see if we could find someone that fit for the citizens of the fifth ward and the residents of the rest of the city as a whole.”
Interested candidates can apply through the human resources department at Jackson City Hall.
You must be a fifth ward resident for at least a year in order to qualify.
