ALPENA — A former Presque Isle County prosecutor’s lawsuit accusing several police officers of retaliating against him for criticizing them will be dismissed, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.

Former Presque Isle County Prosecutor Richard Steiger had claimed in his 2016 lawsuit that six law enforcement officers and officials with the Michigan State Police, Huron Undercover Narcotics Team, and Straits Area Narcotics Enforcement were involved in illegal activities, retaliations and cover-ups.

The officers appealed the Alpena County Circuit Court’s denial of government immunity for the officers. The three-judge panel of the appellate court said immunity did apply in the case and ordered the lower court to dismiss Steiger’s lawsuit.

Named in the suit were the MSP’s Robert Hahn, Capt. Michael Caldwell, commander of the State Police’s District 7 Headquarters, Patrick Boyd, MSP 7th District task force commander, Delmar Putnam, a retired MSP detective-lieutenant and former commander of the HUNT team, Ken Mills, a detective-lieutenant assigned to SANE, and Alan Burke, a trooper assigned to the MSP-Alpena Post at the time but who has since retired, according to court records.

“We were confident the Michigan Supreme Court would come to this decision, and we’ll let the decision they made stand on its own merits,” State Police spokesman Derrick Carroll said.

“We are pleased with the opinion and believe the court made the right decision in regard to this matter,” said Kelly Rossman-McKinney, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, which represented the police officers.

Police had investigated Steiger’s use of prescription painkillers in 2011 while he was working as prosecutor for Presque Isle County. Steiger was charged with prescription drug fraud, but the case was thrown out in 88th District Court.

Steiger claimed the investigation into his prescription drug use was intended to punish him for speaking out against certain police procedures.

Steiger’s attorney did not return a request for comment.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.