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Hank Winchester (WDIV photo)
WDIV consumer reporter Hank Winchester was recently fired, Metro Times reports. The news comes six weeks after the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office declined to file charges of criminal misconduct following a weeks-long investigation.
The station placed Winchester on a leave of absence in the summer pending the outcome of the investigation. He did not return to the station. Metro Times did not report why Winchester was fired. WDIV Vice President and General Manager Bob Ellis did not respond to an email from Deadline Detroit seeking comment.
A police report obtained by Metro Times included allegations that Winchester, 51, offered a free massage to someone who was picking up a leather sleeper sofa Winchester sold him through Facebook Marketplace.
The person alleged when he got the massage, Winchester made inappropriate sexual advances and recorded the session. He also alleged that Winchester claimed to be training to be a massaage therapist. The police report said investigators found no evidence of a recording.
Winchester's attorney, Todd Flood, told Deadline Detroit that Metro Times only had access to the police report and not the complete investigative files, which he said told a different story.
"Police reports are made every hour of every day, and before they can be considered reliable information, they have to be verified," Flood said. "This police report was clearly not reliable. That’s why they aren’t automatically admissible in court."
"The reporter got a snippet of this information and took it out of context without getting the full picture of what happened," Flood added, emphasizing that Winchester never held himself out as a licensed massage therapist.
Flood also said the allegation that Winchester made unwanted sexual advances was inaccurate, noting that his client passed two polygraph tests.
"The investigation proved there wasn’t probable cause to believe that Hank Winchester committed a crime," Flood said. "It didn’t even meet that threshold."
Flood further alleged that "it’s clear the motive and agenda" of the accuser, who was seen on social media giving a Nazi salute.
Flood declined to comment on Winchester's employment status at the station.
After authorities cleared him of criminal wrongdoing in August, Winchester issued a statement:
“I’m thankful this investigation is over. The allegations made against me were outrageous, unfounded, and defamatory. Throughout my 24-year career in Detroit, my mission has always been to help the community I love, protect you from bad actors, and fight for justice. I will always fight for you—just as I’ve recently had to fight for myself."
Winchester has been doing podcast with Kelly Stafford, wife of former Detroit Lions quarter Matt Stafford, called the Morning After With Kelly Stafford.
But on Thursday, she announced on her show that she's taking a step back from her podcast for her mental health and to figure out the direction of the show, according to the New York Post.
“I wanted to let you guys know that I will be taking a break for about a month,” Stafford said. “I’ve just been kind of struggling (with) where I see this thing going. Obviously, I have four daughters and a husband and this podcast is another one of my babies and I love it a lot, but not as much as them. It has been taking more time than I’ve wanted it too."
Metro Times reported:
WDIV has not announced Winchester’s termination. His bio still appears on WDIV’s website. WDIV has let other reporters return to work following allegations of wrongdoing. Reporter Kevin Dietz spent 30 days in jail for drunk driving and was allowed to return to work. In 2016, reporter Lauren Podell was suspended for allegedly using the n-word off air while talking with a coworker, but she was allowed to return until civil rights leaders demanded her termination.
She resigned. WDIV personality Jason Carr was permitted to continue working after coworkers made a series of allegations against him, but he was eventually fired in December 2022 after a livestream rant. And meteorologist Brandon Roux continued working at WDIV after he conflated Amazon Prime Day with Juneteenth. Metro Times has been unable to track down the complainant because his name has been redacted.
