The Lowell Police Department saw a slight uptick in the number of cases it handled in July. As usual, assisting other agencies, assisting citizens and responding to reports of suspicious situations topped the list of police activity for the month. The department also added a part-time officer although it is still looking for two more to bring the force up to full staffing.
In total, the Lowell Police Department had 273 reports filed for July 2022, including the following:
- 44 assists to other agencies
- 27 suspicious situations
- 23 general and motorist assists
- 11 ordinance violations
- 10 disorderly conduct
- 9 traffic accidents
- 7 larcenies
- 5 malicious destruction of property
- 4 animal issues
- 3 breaking and entering
- 1 drug overdose
Lowell officers also made 62 traffic stops that resulted in 16 citations.
Resident Allegedly Assisting Overseas Scammer
Det. Aubrey Culver is currently working on a fraud case that involves a Lowell resident and a person overseas. In what has been described as a “romantic fraud scheme,” the Lowell resident was allegedly convinced to receive money from defrauded individuals and convert the funds to Bitcoin so they could be accessed by the person overseas.
The money is apparently coming from people who are looking to relocate and need a house or apartment to rent. The overseas scammer has created fake websites to advertise houses and apartments. Victims of the crime believe they are making a deposit to hold a property, but their money is actually going to the Lowell resident to be converted to Bitcoin.
The Secret Service has been to the Lowell Police Department to review the case file although the losses in this case apparently aren’t great enough for them to take over the investigation.
Other July Cases
Other July cases involve teens who were caught on camera inside a school building after hours. They apparently wanted to play basketball in the gym and didn’t steal anything other than some drinks and snacks from a breakroom. When the Lowell Police Department posted photos of the teens on Facebook, parents recognized their children and brought them to the station.
Near the end of the month, police officers arrested a person who was being disorderly on the Riverwalk. The individual had apparently come to Lowell from Grand Rapids with friends, but they left the person behind. It was after midnight when the police apprehended the person after they were observed yelling at cars and banging their head into buildings.
There was only one suspected case of drunk driving in July, but that person’s blood alcohol level ended up being below the legal limit. Instead, it appeared to be a medication issue that was causing the driver to appear intoxicated.
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