Why a recall?

When an elected public official, in this case the prosecuting attorney of Grand Traverse County, does not fulfill a sworn obligation to protect and serve citizens to the best of their ability and exercises egregious abuses of power, we, the people, have an obligation to future victims of crime in our community to take collective action.

Grand Traverse Co. Prosecuting Attorney Noelle Moeggenberg has proven time and again her eagerness to resolve her office's large criminal caseload by deferring to sweet plea deals for alleged offenders.

Our children, families, and the entire Grand Traverse community deserve better.

Noted below are several case examples of Moeggenberg's failure to secure justice for victims of crimes such as vehicular homicide, child sexual abuse, animal abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon.

*SOURCE NOTE: Thank you to Bill Bee for providing a summary of cases below. See also: The Record Eagle, law.justia.com and micourt.courts.michigan.gov/case-search.

Case Examples

The People of the State of Michigan v. Taylor Simons

The Original Charges: Multiple counts of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC) involving a victim under the age of 13.

The Disposition: The original primary felony counts of CSC First-Degree were dropped in exchange for an attempted penetration plea, lowering the sentencing guidelines.

The Outcome: On June 13, 2025, Moeggenberg agreed to a 0–9 month sentence for the charge of Assault with Intent to Commit Sexual Penetration. Under the terms of the deal, the prosecution dropped two charges of Criminal Sexual Conduct II (victim under 13). This reduction in charges likely reflected a negotiated compromise between the state and the defense, possibly to secure a lighter sentence or to avoid a more serious conviction.

The Documented Concern: Family advocates and petition records allege critical institutional oversights during the initial investigation window, including a failure to order timely, complete sexually transmitted infection testing for the defendant, and a failure to consult the victim's legal guardian prior to finalizing the plea agreement.

The People of the State of Michigan v. Nicholas Schram

The Original Charges: Reckless driving causing death and multiple counts of reckless driving causing serious impairment of a body function following a fatal 2024 automobile collision resulting in the death of 22-year-old Sam DeKuiper (pictured with his family above on this page).

The Disposition: The primary felony charge of reckless driving causing death was dismissed by the state. The defendant pled guilty to lesser charges of reckless driving causing serious impairment, resulting in a reduced concurrent sentence.

The Outcome: Initially facing multiple charges with a potential 15-year sentence, Moeggenberg agreed to a plea deal with Schram in March 2025 reducing the charges down to two counts of Reckless Driving Causing Serious Injury (5-year felonies each) as part of a plea agreement where he will only serve 2 to 5 years. One count of Reckless Driving Causing Death (15-year felony) was dismissed, and two additional counts were

dropped.

The Documented Concern: The surviving family members of the victim have publicly stated that the plea bargain was formulated and executed over their explicit, written objections. The final disposition effectively dismissed the specific criminal charge tied directly to the loss of life.

The People of the State of Michigan v. Brady Arnold

The Original Charges: Assault with a dangerous weapon (felonious assault), malicious destruction of police property, assaulting, resisting, or obstructing police, accompanied by a habitual offender enhancement following a March 2020 armed incident.

The Disposition: The felony counts carrying the heaviest potential penalties were dismissed. The defendant pled to reduced assault, resisting, or obstructing charges and received a sentence of roughly 10 months in jail plus probation.

The Outcome & Documented Concern: Court-ordered probation explicitly prohibited the defendant from coming within 500 feet of the victim's family, home, or workplace. Following his release, the defendant moved directly across the road from the family, with township officials measuring the physical distance at 147 feet. The complaining witness alleges the probation officer provided false compliance testimony to the court. While local police investigators subsequently submitted a formal arrest request or warrant review for perjury against the probation officer, the prosecutor's office formally declined authorization.

The People of the State of Michigan v. Karl Hartman (2019)

The Original Charges: Multiple severe felony counts, including Criminal Sexual Conduct, Accosting a Minor for Immoral Purposes, and multiple misdemeanor counts of Furnishing Alcohol to Minors, involving an investigation into a local school principal.

The Disposition: The highest felony counts, including charges carrying maximum potential life sentences, were reduced or dismissed during the preliminary hearing stages. The defendant ultimately secured a plea agreement with significantly mitigated sentencing thresholds.

The Outcome: Moeggenberg dropped six felony and two misdemeanor charges in exchange for Hartman’s guilty plea. He was sentenced to 2 to 5 years in prison.

The Community Concern: This public record file is frequently cited by local watchdogs as an abuse of public authority. Community members and affected families assert that the final plea arrangement was entirely disproportionate to the severe, multi-victim nature of the allegations and the systemic exploitation of a trusted administrative office.

"Justice for Mighty Mac": The People of the State of Michigan v. Zachary Schraufnagel and Sierra Haggerty

The Original Charges: Felony animal abuse and neglect charges after the discovery of multiple neglected animals, including the dog Mighty Mac, who died from long-term physical neglect after being rescued by Cherryland Humane Society.

The Disposition: Charges for animal abuse and neglect in this case were multiple and could have resulted in the defendants receiving prison terms of 20+ years and thousands in restitution fines.

The Outcome: Moeggenberg's agreement to a plea deal and subsequent sentencing marked a shift from the original felony charges to just a misdemeanor:

Schraufnagel:

30 days in jail
18 months of probation

Haggerty:

Unable to access sentencing outcome

The Community Concern: After six months of dedicated rehabilitation efforts by the team at Cherryland Humane Society, the difficult decision was made to euthanize Mighty Mac as his injuries were not sustainable.

The People of the State of Michigan v. Shawn Koon-Nolff

The Context: Multiple tracking records regarding local criminal cases and separate property theft complaints submitted by Sue Nolff.

The Disposition: No formal prosecution initiated; a subsequent $10,000 grand larceny file was closed via written notice from the prosecutor's office without charges being filed.

The Submission Allegations: The family documents that they sent weekly emails to the prosecutor's office providing clear evidence of an individual's rapid mental decline, pleading for institutional intervention or a mental health hold before a tragedy occurred. Moeggenberg's office allegedly ignored the communications and released him on his own recognizance, after which he passed away. Following his death, a separate investigation involving eyewitnesses and photographic evidence of a $10,000 property theft targeting the grieving family was summarily closed without action.