Macomb GOP sheriff candidate, ex-Warren councilman charged with carrying concealed weapon

A former Warren city councilman who is running as a Republican for Macomb County sheriff is charged with carrying a concealed weapon after a traffic stop Sunday, Warren police said.

Edward Kabacinski, 50, was arraigned Thursday on the felony charge, surrendering to police in a full military uniform, according to a news release from police.

Nearly four years ago, when Kabacinski was a councilman, he appeared in a full military police uniform for arraignment on unrelated charges that he illegally detained and handcuffed a woman who put Black Lives Matter stickers on then-President Donald Trump signs.

In this week's case, police said Kabacinski was given a $5,000 cash or surety bond and as a condition of bond, he cannot possess any firearms. He pleaded not guilty and a probable cause conference was set for May 16 in 37th District Court in Warren, according to court records.

Kabacinski could not be immediately reached Thursday afternoon. No attorney was listed for him in court records or with the district court, where an employee said he did not post bond. He will be taken to the county jail if he does not post bond.

Kabacinski is one of three GOP candidates running for the four-year term for sheriff in the August primary. The GOP winner will face Sheriff Anthony Wickersham, a Democrat, in the November election.

Police said officers noticed a Dodge van driving near Hoover and Common about 1:20 p.m. Sunday. The license plate on the van expired in October 2019 and the van had a cracked windshield, according to the police's news release.

Officers made a traffic stop and identified the driver as Kabacinski. They saw he had a revolver secured in a holster on his right hip. Police said Kabacinski told officers he had a firearm on his person and said he was a retired law enforcement officer.

He showed officers his Michigan driver's license, a silver badge with "United States Army," "Military Retired Police" in banners and an expired U.S. Army Reserve military identification card, according to the release.

Kabacinski told police did not have a Michigan concealed pistol license and he didn't need one because of his retired military status. The revolver was seized for officer safety, according to the release, and Kabacinski was secured in a patrol vehicle.

Police said the revolver was loaded and registered to Kabacinski, who had additional ammunition for the weapon as well as handcuffs and handcuff keys on him.

Additional investigation was needed to verify if he was illegally carrying a concealed handgun, police said. His vehicle was impounded, and Kabacinski was issued a civil infraction for expired plates and cracked windshield, according to the release. Kabacinski was released at the scene.

On Monday, the incident was assigned to a detective. That day, police said, the file was presented to the county prosecutor's office, which authorized the charge.

Police said additional investigation is being conducted into Kabacinski's military service claims and status.

Police Commissioner Charles Rushton said Kabacinski was claiming he had a card through the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004, which exempts qualified current and former law enforcement officers from state laws prohibiting the carrying of concealed handguns, through his military background.

Police couldn't confirm that at the time of the traffic stop, he said, but added that most retired officers also get a concealed pistol license.

"Once you enter a vehicle, under state law, the weapon's now concealed," Rushton said. "So if you're walking down the street, you can carry a weapon on you. Once you enter a vehicle, it's considered concealed at that point, because the vehicle conceals the weapon."

Kabacinski, who lost a reelection attempt in the 2023 primary for City Council and a later write-in campaign, has been in court twice before on charges. Nearly a year ago, a jury convicted him of peddling political merchandise without a sales permit in Utica during a 2021 rally for Trump.

He was arrested by Utica police on a misdemeanor ordinance violation. In June 2023, he was sentenced to one year of non-reporting probation and $825 in fines and costs, according to 41A District Court in Shelby Township. A probation review is set for June 21.

In 2022, he pleaded no contest in a case in Eastpointe, where in 2020 he was accused of chasing down and handcuffing a woman who put Black Lives Matter stickers on Trump yard signs.

He pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace, a lesser offense than the original one-year misdemeanor charge of impersonating a public officer. A 93-day misdemeanor assault and battery charge was dismissed.

He was sentenced to 12 months of probation with conditions, in addition to $1,055 in fines and costs in the Eastpointe case, with the plea taken under a section of the Michigan criminal code that allows for a delayed sentence. In April 2023, the case was closed and Kabacinski was discharged from probation, according to online records in 38th District Court in Eastpointe.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Macomb GOP sheriff candidate, ex-Warren councilman charged in gun case