On Tuesday, the 11th Circuit Court sentenced Cord Alan Spencer to six months incarceration in the Alger County Jail for crimes committed in the Village of Grand Marais. The sentence was pursuant to multiple convictions for Assaulting/Resisting/ Obstructing a Police Officer and Possession of a Firearm While Under the Influence.

On February 27, 2023, Deputy Nick Paul of the Alger County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of shots fired on Webb Road in Grand Marais. Upon encountering the defendant and realizing he was armed with a long assault-style rifle, Deputy Paul retreated to retrieve his uniform and equipment. Deputy Paul then confronted the defendant at a nearby residence. The defendant was hostile towards law enforcement, spitting at and physically assaulting Deputy Paul. At sentencing, the prosecution emphasized the disturbing nature of the defendant’s verbal attacks and physical threats toward individual community members, including school faculty, in arguing for maximum incarceration.

Prosecutor Robert Steinhoff stated: “This sentence should serve as a message to those that would seek to intimidate or cause fear to the residents of Grand Marais. The depravity of the defendant’s conduct in terrifying citizens in this community is exactly why he will spend the next half year in jail. Threatening violence against school teachers and fighting police officers will never be tolerated in Alger County and we will continue to work vigorously in the court of law to ensure the safety of our residents and public servants.”

The Alger County Prosecutor’s Office represents the State of Michigan on behalf of the citizens of Alger County in charging and prosecuting criminal matters. The office is in Munising, MI. Robert T. Steinhoff assumed the office in 2019 via appointment and was elected in 2020.