Man: No money left from '90s settlement

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - A new felony case has been dismissed against Scottie Len Waller, who obtained a $625,000 settlement from his police brutality lawsuit against Muskegon in 1999.

An absent and uncooperative witness -- Waller's girlfriend -- led to the dismissal. There is a bench warrant issued for her arrest, 24 Hour News 8 learned Monday. The Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office may be able to reissue the charges and try Waller.

He told a judge in December he is broke and needs a public defender.

The 38-year-old was accused of being an accessory after the fact -- the latest of many criminal charges in the past 10 years.

Prosecutors say he hid $3000 a friend stole.

The Holland man was arraigned Dec. 28 for what is normally a five-year felony, but could be life in prison for the fourth-time habitual offender.

He currently is on parole after serving 15 months in prison for resisting and obstructing police.

Waller became locally well-known after a 1997 traffic stop in a downtown Muskegon parking lot led to an incident that spawned allegations of police brutality and sparked racial controversy. Only one officer ever was charged and Waller was acquitted.

In court, Waller would not tell the judge how he spent the settlement money, only that it was gone.