GRAND HAVEN, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Additional charges have been filed against the parents of a 16-year-old special needs son who died of an apparent drowning this past spring.
The Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office on Monday authorized arrest warrants against Timothy Alan Koets and Michele Earlene Koets on charges of fraudulently obtaining prescription narcotics. Mr. Koets already is facing felony counts stemming from the death of Sam Koets on March 28th after the teen had gotten into a swimming pool at the family’s home north of Hudsonville.
According to Sheriff’s Captain Mark Bennett, “During the course of the drowning investigation, detectives learned that Timothy Koets had been filling prescriptions that were written for his deceased son on multiple occasions after the death of their son. Michelle is also charged for her part in this criminal activity … the investigation shows that the Koets were obtaining mostly Ritalin fraudulently and taking the drug themselves.”
Timothy Koets is facing felony counts of Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud, False Reporting to Obtain a Controlled Substance, and Health Care Fraud. Michelle Koets is facing a misdemeanor count of Obtaining a Controlled Substance by False Representation.
Bennett added that the Koets are “free at this time and will be scheduling an arraignment at the Hudsonville District Court at a later date.”
