‘Our hope is gone with this department’: Brittany Shank protest held outside St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office

Chanting messages like “Six years is too long!,” “Give it to MSP!,” and “Justice for Brittany!,” approximately 30 people traveled Saturday from the St. Joseph County Courthouse in Centreville to the county sheriff’s office. The office’s lawn and briefly its lobby held a protest in honor of Brittany Shank.

November 30 will mark six years since Shank’s 2018 disappearance from the Sturgis area. Her family, friends and supporters have continued to advocate for the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office to give Shank’s case fully to the Michigan State Police.

“I pray none of you have to live through this injustice that I’m receiving from St. Joe County,” Shank’s father Greg Wallace said. “We can’t stop. We’re not gonna stop.”

Wallace introduced “my warrior,” Lindsay Turner. Saying she had invited sheriff’s office staff and the full St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners to attend the protest, Turner shared her and Wallace’s disappointment for their absences.

“The trust is gone. The respect is gone. Our hope is gone with this department. Our faith is gone with this department. We are pleading to get Brittany’s case gone with this department as well. Let the state in,” Turner said.

Earlier this month, the sheriff’s office released two components of its investigation into Shank’s case. On Saturday, Turner and Wallace called the sheriff’s office’s most recent statement an attempt to “pacify us.” Turner also said Shank’s family was not aware that a 9-1-1 call would be released until it happened.

Turner said she wants the sheriff’s office to prove her and the protestors wrong.

“Give it to the state police,” she said. “Prove us wrong. If we don’t know what we’re talkin’ about, and they can’t do anything about it, neither can you. Prove us wrong. Give it over to the state and say, ‘See? Shut your f’n mouth and let us have it back.’ Well, they aren’t doing that.”

Chad Spence, St. Joseph County’s presumptive next sheriff, spoke in September about his future plans for Shank’s case.

“I’m pretty confident that the state police would never (take over the case),” Spence said. “We don’t tend to take each other’s cases over. That’s just something that doesn’t happen. But we do work together. That’s one of the reasons I was running, to get that collaboration back.”

The county sheriff’s office and state police will meet, Spence said. While it won’t entirely be about the Shank case, the case will be discussed. Spence also said it’s possible that both agencies will collaborate again.

Protest co-organizer Jackie Milliman thanked the “Hide and Seek” podcast for covering Shank’s case. Because of that, Milliman became involved.

“Do you see the banner?” Milliman asked the protestors. “It’s looking worn. But the wear shows the miles it has traveled in our fight for Justice for Brittany.”

Frank Stanko is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.