LANSING, Mich. — Grand Ledge councilman and mayoral candidate Michael Doty has been accused of domestic violence in five separate police reports.
Most recently, he was accused of trying to fight people in a local bar Saturday night.
Doty didn't respond to our attempts to contact him.
Those who know him say these stories have been twisted.
"This is just a smear campaign. They're trying to make sure that he doesn't get elected," said Doty supporter Christine Douglas.
The police reports date back to 1997, before he was running for mayor.
The accuser says he "threw me into a wall."
Another report details an incident involving his ex-wife.
"I was there the night it happened. She pulled the knife out on us. I just barely grabbed her elbows, held her elbows, Doty grabbed the knife and then with my size, I just put my hand out and just walked toward her and escorted her right out the door," said Doty's friend Ray Smith.
Of the eight documents FOX 47 reviewed, none led to criminal charges.
Sunday morning, a Grand Ledge resident posted on Facebook saying Doty "attempted to fight multiple people and degrade staff" at a local bar.
Grand Ledge Police say they were never called about the incident.
In a Facebook post, Doty wrote, "If the gentleman in question and I had been able to verbally communicate and understand each other, the incident would have been avoided."
"I don't know if Michael was intoxicated because I wasn't there, but he did have a problem with the waitress there," said Douglas.
Despite the allegations, Doty's friends believe he'd make a good mayor.
"I knew what Doty stood for for a long time and Grand Ledge needs that change to make it better," said Smith.
Doty is running against two other candidates: incumbent Mayor Thom Sowle and Michael Coll.
Coll said he had no comment and Mayor Sowle did not call back.
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