Aaron Popa

Introduction

Aaron Popa held an unusual double portfolio in Kalkaska, Michigan, serving simultaneously as the village’s manager and as its chief of police under an employment contract of approximately six years. Both roles ended at once on September 14, 2026, when the Kalkaska Village Council voted unanimously to fire him effective immediately. The dismissal capped a month of upheaval that began when Popa was suspended with pay while the Michigan State Police investigated what officials described as an incident involving a citizen. No criminal charges against Popa have been announced; the state police investigation has been completed and turned over to the prosecuting attorney, and its outcome has not been reported. What is documented is a sequence of official actions: a paid suspension, a handoff of the inquiry to state investigators, and a unanimous council vote to remove him from both positions.

Background Information

Popa’s combined position made him both the top administrator of Kalkaska’s village government and the head of its police department at the same time. Village President Jeff Sieting told 9&10 News that Popa worked under an employment contract for approximately six years. Kalkaska is, in Sieting’s words, a “small, tightknit community,” a description he offered in explaining how difficult the council’s eventual decision to remove him was.

The structure of local accountability became central to the case from the start. When the incident surfaced in August 2026, village leaders chose not to have the local police department examine its own chief, turning the matter over to the Michigan State Police instead. That choice meant the inquiry into Popa’s conduct sat in outside hands almost immediately, with state investigators re-interviewing witnesses rather than relying on the officers of the department Popa commanded.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

The triggering event took place on August 17, 2026, when, according to officials, an encounter occurred between Popa and a citizen. A village police lieutenant responded to the scene, and his body camera was rolling. Sieting declined to describe what the footage captured, saying only that it prompted formal scrutiny. “Not really sure what the definition of engagement is,” Sieting said. “Another police lieutenant was called to the scene. He showed up, at which time his body camera was rolling. I’m not in a position to disclose what was on that body camera but it was determined that there was grounds for an investigation.”

Popa was suspended with pay on August 18 while the Michigan State Police investigated the August 17 incident, and he was barred from performing his duties as police chief and village manager during the leave. Sieting stressed that the suspension was a procedural step, not a judgment. “This whole situation is based on a singular incident,” he said. “And any time there’s something of this magnitude, I would say allegations of this magnitude are grounds for a suspension with pay. You know, obviously innocent until proven guilty.”

State police investigators re-interviewed individuals who saw what happened. “We’re dealing with limited information,” Sieting said. “There were witnesses to the event and so the Michigan State Police, after our police lieutenant did his initial interview, took that information, handed it off to the state police, at which time they then again went in and re-interviewed these individuals.”

Public Reaction and Consequences

The decisive response came at the village council’s September 14 meeting, where members voted unanimously to fire Popa effective immediately. “Decisions like this are never easy, especially in a small, tightknit community, but they are sometimes necessary,” Sieting said in a release. “It was made after careful consideration of the chief’s history with the village, and after reviewing the broader circumstances, we determined this change in leadership is in the best interest of the community.”

The council characterized its decision as separate both from the August 17 incident and from the state police investigation into it, and the village declined to comment further on the action taken that night. In practical terms, the vote stripped Popa of both of his positions at once, ending his concurrent tenure as the village’s administrator and police chief. The council also moved quickly to reassure residents, announcing interim arrangements that split his former duties among other officials and confirming that emergency and non-emergency police services would continue without interruption.

Current Status

Popa is no longer employed by the village of Kalkaska. Sieting and Assistant Manager Faith Ramsey are handling village management duties in the interim, while Lt. Bill Robbins has stepped up to oversee police department operations. “The police lieutenant. Robbins is taking care of the police end of it,” Sieting said. “And then the assistant manager Faith Ramsey and myself are sharing the responsibilities of the village manager at this time.”

The Michigan State Police investigation, Sieting later told 9&10 News, “has been completed and is now in the hands of the prosecuting attorney.” No charges against Popa had been announced in the available reporting, and no outcome from the prosecutor’s review has been made public. In the meantime, residents may continue to call 911 for emergencies and 231-258-3350 for non-emergent police assistance.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The termination ended Popa’s roughly six-year run leading Kalkaska’s government and police force simultaneously, and it came through a unanimous vote of the elected council, a measure of how thoroughly the village’s leadership had moved on from him. Because he was fired while the inquiry into the August 17 incident still rested with the prosecuting attorney, the dismissal stood on the council’s own assessment rather than on any announced criminal finding.

Sieting’s public comments framed the decision in terms of leadership fit rather than confirmed misconduct, citing the chief’s history with the village and “the broader circumstances.” The contents of the body-camera recording were never disclosed, and the incident itself remains officially undescribed beyond officials’ references to an encounter between Popa and a citizen. What is certain is professional: Popa lost both of his public-sector roles at once, and the village adopted a split interim leadership structure to carry on in his absence.