Jennifer Marie Klutman, a former firefighter and EMT from Middleville, has admitted to making false claims of domestic abuse against a person who doesn’t actually exist. Which sounds confusing, indeed, so let’s break down the events as they took place…

 

According to the Kent County Sheriff’s Department, Central Dispatch received a call on September 18th of 2015 from Klutman, claiming that she had been assaulted by her boyfriend. She provided her location as Broadmoor Avenue SE and 60th Street, and then waited for a deputy to arrive.

 

When question by the deputy who showed up at the scene, she explained that she had been assaulted by her boyfriend when she tried to break up with him. She wouldn’t provide his name, but claimed that he was a police officer. Later, she revealed that his name was “Matt Smith”.

 

However, this is where it starts to get strange. The following month the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department revealed that they too had received a call from Klutman claiming that she was being abused by her boyfriend. Once again, she didn’t reveal his name.

 

As the two departments discussed the situation, it came to light that the Kent County Sheriff’s Department had been conducting an internal investigation into the allegedly abusive boyfriend named Matt Smith. However, they were unable to locate an officer with that name.

 

Investigators followed up with Klutman, only to discover that the reported domestic abuse had never been real to begin with. Klutman revealed that she had made false claims of abuse, and that the incidents she made up had never taken place. She was subsequently arrested and then released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.

 

Klutman was initially charged with false report of a felony, false report of a misdemeanor and false report using a police radio station. She was facing up to four years in prison if convicted, but the plea agreement she later accepted changed that.

 

The 31-year-old former firefighter plead guilty to false report of a felony. In return the prosecution agreed to drop the other two charges. At her recent sentencing hearing, Klutman was sentenced to two years of probation, and also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

 

While the boyfriend who was falsely accused of domestic violence in this instance was a fictional character who will never suffer the consequences, there are countless real people out there who face this tragedy every day. People who are falsely accused of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and all manner of other crimes. The results can be devastating.

 

If you or a loved one are being falsely accused of a crime that you didn’t commit, you are going to need an excellent defense team, with decades of experience defending the falsely accused. Call Kronzek & Cronkright today. We can help you.