Jury finds former Westland police officer guilty of ethnic intimidation and assault

LANSING – A former Westland police sergeant was found guilty Friday of committing ethnic intimidation and assaulting a security guard while visiting a Detroit casino last year.

Kevin Yudt, 43, of Grass Lake He will be sentenced on December 6 on two counts of ethical harassment, each a two-year felony, and one count of assault and battery, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

A Wayne County jury found Yudt guilty of the charges on Friday, court records confirmed.

The Westland Police Department fired Yudt from his employment in May 2023, a month after Yudt’s confrontation with security at the MGM Grand Detroit. Early this year, charges were filed against him.

“No one is above the law, and I applaud the jury for their service and commitment to justice,” Nessel said. “This type of behavior has no place in our society, especially among those sworn to protect and serve. My office remains committed to prosecuting threats of violence and ethnic intimidation to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.”

Prosecutors have said that security at MGM Grand Detroit denied Yudt and a friend access to the casino floor on April 6, 2023, because he appeared intoxicated.

After being denied entry, Yudt identified himself as a Westland Police Department sergeant and told security staff, “I’ll be waiting for you when you come to Westland, and you won’t survive.”

He also stabbed a security guard in the chest and shouted racial slurs.

Contact editor Susan Vela at [email protected] or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.