The Lowell Police Department (LPD) wasn’t quite as busy in October compared to September. During the month of October the number of accidents rose. Many of the 17 occurrences were due to cars and deer trying to occupy the same place. The cooler weather also meant the number of traffic stops in which violations for open alcohol and/or open use of marijuana were handed out fell compared to the previous month.
The department still remained busy. One call to the department was regarding the mysterious sound coming from Litehouse. On our Facebook page there was discussion as to whether or not it was aliens, Bigfoot, or the lochness monster. LPD solved the case after responding to an 11:45pm call about a strange whistling noise. Upon investigation, it was determined one of the large vehicles which comes to remove waste from the Litehouse facility makes this noise as waste is pumped through a line to the truck. There are eight trucks which come to pick up waste and only one of these makes this noise, thus explaining the intermittent hearing of the sound in the neighborhood. Litehouse will work to determine which truck is making this noise so it can be repaired. This news is sure to disappoint those hoping that some legendary creature was hiding out in Lowell.
Here are some of the highlights from the rest of October in the police department.
An officer responded to a call at a home where a person had been evicted. The person hadn’t lived there in almost two months but returned and was throwing trash from the home into the yard.
A citizen phoned in a possible illegal dump into the river and also sent a photo. Upon investigation it was determined the Department of Environmental Quality had given permission for a company to remove water from the river to use on their job site.
In a property dispute case, two neighbors are quarreling over the placement of a permanent fence. One neighbor put up a fence without obtaining a permit. The fence was put on an adjacent neighbor’s property. The police is working with the two property owners to resolve the situation.
A woman who had a personal protection order against her husband. The husband has threatened to kill her. They have had some contact at a local church according to witnesses. The victim was not entirely cooperative.
A family problem involving a mom and two daughters resulted in officer intervention. Threats of cutting the power cable to the TV and damage of other property were exchanged. The feuding parties were separated.
While fishing off a railroad trestle, a person was told by the LPD walking on train tracks is not allowed and considered trespassing.
At a local bar, a female was assaulted by her boyfriend. The establishment called the police. A patron at the bar witnessed the female being knocked to the ground. Another patron attempted to follow the boyfriend when he left the location. The female was taken to the hospital and a be on the lookout was issued for the boyfriend. A warrant was issued for the boyfriend who later turned himself in. He is currently awaiting arraignment.
Officers arrived at an active domestic situation to find a female in the driveway of a rental with a friend. A male was also present, screaming about being cheated on after seeing texts on the female’s phone. The female was attempting to leave in a vehicle with her friend while the male was attempting to pull her from the vehicle. The male was pulled away from the vehicle, which left and was pulled over during a traffic stop after one officer left the scene, leaving a second officer with the male. The male had a scratch on his neck which was later determined to be from a dog. No charges were issued at the time the event happened.
The same male in the previous incident was later involved in officers responding to a male who barricaded himself in with a shotgun threatening suicide. Officers were able to make contact with the individual and he was taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
In a credit card fraud investigation, LPD is looking into charges in the amounts of $890, $780, and $650 on a credit card. These charges were still showing as pending on the account so they were able to be cancelled. The investigation remains ongoing.
An assist to Kent County Sheriff Department had LPD at Meijer. The county wasn’t available to respond to an in progress retail fraud issue. The suspect was running through the parking lot when the police arrived.
Dollar Tree called to report a customer who frequently causes problems with staff and other customers. Disruptive behavior such as loud profanity and knocking things off the shelves was not stopped after repeated requests from the staff during several separate instances. The customer threatened to come back and “get” staff members which led to the business calling the police. The customer has been asked not to return to the premises or it will be considered trespassing.
LPD assisted Ottawa County in a search of a residence in Lowell. A suspect in an assault with attempt to murder. Two Ottawa County detectives and two LPD officers interviewed the suspect.
In an accusation of banking fraud a male, who banks in Lowell, set up a direct deposit of his paycheck into his girlfriend’s account. The girlfriend took money from the account. The male is looking to get his money back. The Kent County Prosecutor’s Office has deemed the issue a civil matter as the money was taken by the owner of the account.
A welfare check was conducted at a Lowell residence. The subject, who earlier in the month barricaded himself in with a shotgun, had an incident in Grand Rapids where he was yelling. LPD was asked to check on the subject to make sure he was okay.
At Creekside Park a group of four juveniles were smoking and using vulgar language. When an officer arrived two of the individuals tried to walk away but were called back. An electronic vapor cigarette was taken.
Detective VanSolkema worked on a case where a female resident in Lowell got into a debate with a male in Grand Rapids. On Facebook the male made threats. The suspect tried to file a complaint against the officer after he was questioned but bodycam footage did not match the suspect’s story. The female involved did not want to press charges.
Checks were taken from a local bar. They were then cashed at a location in Muskegon. The suspect faces a 14 year felony charge for uttering and publishing.
An officer responding to a loud music complaint found a teen who had just installed a stereo system and was testing it out for friends.
A male from Ionia County was directed to police in his jurisdiction after trying to place a stalking complaint in Lowell as no resident was involved in the situation.
A suspect with a knife was breaking things at a residence. The suspect had to be taken down at gunpoint after not complying. The suspect also made threats of going to kill someone by choking him or her. The subject was arrested. The Kent County Prosecutor’s Office has pressed charges and an arraignment occurred on Oct. 23.
Two males who have become familiar to police officers were once again involved in an incident. For the past year two males, who are roommates, drink and end up fighting. A warrant for domestic assault was denied by the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.
A vehicle was stopped for not having on any headlights and making an illegal u-turn. Once the vehicle stopped the driver jumped out of the car and started coming toward the officer who made the stop. The suspect was spun around and put into handcuffs. The individual was on the way home to Ionia after work and was driving without a license. The owner of the vehicle was contacted and admitted to knowing the driver did not have a license when the car was lent out. The driver and owner of the vehicle were both given tickets.
During clean up of a home where renters were evicted, unknown pills were found. Because the house was empty it is unclear if the pills belonged the previous renters or someone else.
A breaking and entering happened at a local factory Scrap metal with a value in the thousands was taken. A suspect has potentially been identified. The items stolen are specific to the company from which they were taken.
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