Former Ionia prison officer faces new charges, including embezzlement

LANSING — Prosecutors have added embezzlement and dangerous weapons charges to those brought against a former Michigan Department of Corrections sergeant in Ionia Township who is also accused by his next-door neighbor of traumatizing her with frequent explosions and gunfire on his property.

Casey Wagner, 33, who is scheduled for his next court hearing April 1, was suspended from his job as an arsenal sergeant at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia after the Ionia County Sheriff's Office, assisted by the Michigan State Police Bomb Squad, searched his home Feb. 20 and said they removed 196 weapons .

Wagner resigned effective March 11, MDOC spokeswoman Jenni Riehle said in a March 30 email.

Wagner was arraigned Feb. 23 in 64-A District Court in Ionia on felony charges of possession of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm while committing a felony. He was released on bond Feb. 24, officials said.

But now, Wagner is facing a slew of charges, as Ionia County Prosecutor Kyle Butler had said was likely to happen, when Butler spoke at Wagner's arraignment.

Specifically, Butler told Magistrate David Wirth that many of the items seized from Wagner's home appeared to be property of the Michigan Department of Corrections and that several of the weapons had been illegally altered.

On March 25, Wagner was charged with close to two dozen additional counts — all five-year felonies — which include:

• Embezzlement with a value of between $1,000 and $20,000, which is a five-year felony; and

• Nine counts of possessing a short-barreled rifle or shotgun, which is also a five-year felony; and

• Thirteen counts of possessing a dangerous weapon.

Dustyn Coontz, a Lansing attorney representing Wagner, declined comment on the new charges in a March 30 email.

Wagner was the subject of a 2025 Detroit Free Press investigation into long-standing complaints from neighbors about explosions coming from Wagner's property and the lack of statewide controls over private gun ranges like the one Wagner built behind his home.

Wagner's nearest neighbor, 65-year-old Lois LaRoe, told the Free Press she suffered from PTSD and hearing loss and the explosions had also damaged her home. She complained to police for more than two years about Wagner but was mostly told he was within his rights.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Ionia prison officer faces new charges, including embezzlement