COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The K’ACES Disc Golf League held its weekly Thursday round at Spring Valley Park in Kalamazoo this week after a dispute with Comstock Township officials over rule enforcement at Robert Morris Park, and what league coordinator Larry LaBond describes as a breakdown in communication.
Emails obtained by News Channel 3 between LaBond and Parks and Recreation Director Katie Bush show the two exchanged messages in the days leading up to the league’s departure, offering additional details about how the situation escalated.
In a June 19 email, LaBond asked Bush directly whether there was “a problem with me and my league,” and requested copies of any complaints filed against the group.
He wrote that he felt blindsided by the enforcement approach, saying it would discourage both rule-breakers and rule-followers from visiting the park.
“This will not only deter people from coming to my league but also from coming out to Robert Morris at all,” he wrote. “This isn’t good for either of us and it could have been handled differently.”
Bush responded the same day, telling LaBond she was not trying to push the league out and did not know the extent of the league’s past contributions to the course, including donated baskets and volunteer labor.
“I am not targeting you,” she wrote. “I hope everyone who comes to the park will follow the rules and you continue to have the disc golf league at Robert Morris.”
The exchange continued June 23, when Bush wrote that complaints were coming from her staff and from her own observations, including photos of park visitors with what she described as 12-packs of beer and people smoking marijuana in the open.
She warned that if the behavior continued, the league could be suspended from the park.
“We are at a point where if this continues on Thursday, we will have to suspend the league from playing at Robert Morris Park,” she wrote, asking LaBond to relay a “zero tolerance policy” to his members.
LaBond replied June 25, saying he did not dispute the need for rule enforcement, but felt the approach taken was disproportionate.
“The heavy handed approach is really disappointing,” he wrote. “If you want my cooperation and help then don’t treat me as an adversary. Talk to me and let’s work together to fix things.”
No response from Bush appeared to follow, and that same night, a Thursday, the league met at Robert Morris Park once again.
Comstock Township Ordinance Enforcement Officer Dakota Szczepanski, during a Wednesday night special meeting called by the township’s parks and recreation board, told officials the league had been banned for violating park rules, unchecked for years, and now refusing to cooperate.
Szczepanski said no violations were cited on June 25, compared to an alleged 18 recorded violations the week prior, but he said that things escalated after he told LaBond he and his league had to leave when the park closed, which he said had changed to 9 p.m., rather than ‘sunset’ as posted.
LaBond asserts his league had been given permission to stay at the park after close, dating back years, to finish up their games before leaving.
The key that K’ACES disc golf league coordinator Larry LaBond told News Channel 3 he was given by the previous parks director several years ago, with permission to stay past close to finish their rounds, and lock up afterward. New parks director Katie Bush said this cannot no longer be authorized. (LaBond/WWMT)
He said he was even given his own key by the township’s former parks director so he could lock the gate on the way out. Bush, the current parks director, confirmed that was accurate during Wednesday’s meeting when asked by a board member, “who gave him a key?”
It was the “parks director before me,” Bush said.
Szczepanski’s claimed during the meeting that he informed LaBond that K’ACES league was banned from returning to Robert Morris, during the July 25 confrontation over closing time.
According to LaBond, however, it was the abrupt change in park privileges and “heavy handed” approach to enforcing the rules that led him to announce that his league would no longer play at Robert Morris Park.
“I don’t have a problem with people enforcing the rules and patrolling the park, that’s fine,” LaBond said.
“But it’s another (thing) when you follow people around and you’re hiding in bushes and stuff like that.”
He said several league members told him similar experiences about excessive patrolling, including one member who was allegedly threatened with a citation for swearing after a bad throw.
“I was not hiding behind any bush,” Szczepanski said during the Wednesday meeting, acknowledging comments seen on social media.
“If I was hiding, you would not see me. I’d get way more crafty. Seven year army vet, so like, I would literally do it up,” he said. “I did cut through the woods, because I saw somebody crack open a Natty Ice while smoking. I did cut through the woods, but it was fairly open woods… I kept on moving. Kept on walking.”
LaBond said he was not invited to Wednesday night’s special township meeting.
“You’d think if the park board wanted to get a full comprehensive view of the story and what happened, I would be somebody they would really want to talk to instead of throwing together a meeting, making the necessary posts they have to by law and then having their meeting where nobody speaks but their staff,” LaBond said.
Some members of the league said they plan to be at the township’s regular board meeting on Monday to address this issue and concerns with how it’s been handled.
LaBond emphasized that he is against any and all threats being made against the township, but he also pushed back on claims that his league is responsible, especially for comments posted online.
He claims that the situation has drawn attention from people outside of the community, with no direct connection to the Kalamazoo group.
News Channel 3 also spoke with a Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office representative on Thursday about the township’s comments about a lack of law enforcement backup for incidents.
The sheriff’s office did confirm a deputy had been scheduled to attend Wednesday night’s meeting, but said it would be looked into what may have happened to prevent that. It was also noted that the deputy assigned to Comstock Township works under a contract position, but remains a priority responder for emergency calls countywide.
K’ACES league coordinator Larry LaBond said he is against any and all threats being made against the township, but he also pushed back on claims that his league is responsible, especially for comments posted online. (Abigail Taylor/WWMT)
Despite earlier discussion of closing Robert Morris Park through the Fourth of July weekend, it was announced on the Comstock Township’s Parks and Recreation Facebook page Thursday that the park would remain open, citing additional security.
“To help keep the park safe and welcoming for everyone, additional security staff will be on-site,” the post read. “Thank you for helping us keep our parks a great place for the whole community.”
Township Supervisor Ben Martin told News Channel 3 he was not contacted about emergency funding approval for security, an option the parks board had discussed.
News Channel 3 reached out to the parks and recreation board and director for Comstock Township, on Thursday, for details about whether the security is being provided by a private third-party company and how it is being funded, but has not received a response.
News Channel 3 has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with Comstock Township seeking body camera footage from Szczepanski for two dates in June and all records of any complaints filed against the league, including whether each complaint originated from staff or the public, between April 1 and July 1, 2026.
A separate FOIA request has also been made with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office for records of incidents at Comstock Township Parks, response times, outcome of calls, and communication with Comstock Township Ordinance Enforcement Officer Dakota Szczepanski between April 1 and July 1, 2026.
Those requests remain pending.
Updates will be shared as soon as they are received.