It’s been a while since we’ve had a Police Beat, eh?
Well, that’s totally on me. The Lowell Police Department has been giving me their latest case numbers and activity details at the start of each month. Then, each month, the weeks get away from me, and I tell myself that I’ll just wait a few more days and publish the next two months together.
Well, we can all see how well that has worked. But we’re going to get back on track here. To get us caught up, here are the number of monthly cases from July through October 2024:
- July: 241
- August: 238
- September: 243
- October: 254
The chart below (which will hopefully be phone friendly) includes a rundown of numbers for selected case categories.
And here are the traffic stop and citation numbers:
Felonious Assault at Church
In October, officers responded to a report of an assault at a local church. Someone apparently confronted and then assaulted someone in the church and then sequestered themselves in the church basement. Five law enforcement officers were eventually on the scene as they worked to safely remove the person from the basement.
In addition to the felonious assault charge, the individual has charges related to resisting arrest and obstructing an officer.
Fraudulent Check Left Behind at Bank
Also in October, a person attempted to cash a fraudulent check for $3,000 at Mercantile Bank. The teller called the institution from which the check was drawn to confirm its validity, and while that was happening, the suspect fled from the scene. However, they left behind their bank card and the check.
“It wasn’t really hard to figure out who did it,” according to Det. Aubrey Culver.
Person Helps Themselves to Outdoor Display
A person saw an item they liked outside an antique shop on Main Street and decided to walk away with it. When police apprehended the person, the suspect apparently said they were on friendly terms with the shop owner and thought it would be ok to take it. In lieu of charges, the two parties decided to settle the matter privately.
Rash of Counterfeit Bills
In July, a variety of local stores were hit with counterfeit bills. In this case, real bills had been washed and then reprinted with a higher denomination. Lowell police identified a suspect – who was also had open cases against them for passing the bills in three different jurisdictions.
However, the prosecutor’s office declined to press charges, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the person knew the bills were counterfeit when using them to pay for purchases.
New Police Chief Coming
You may have already heard, but the biggest recent news from the Lowell Police Department is that a new police chief will be arriving next year. Yes, Chief Chris Hurst is hanging up his badge after 30 years with the Lowell Police Department and is retiring next March. The city hopes to have his predecessor in place by February.
While we don’t know how many people applied for the job, we know a committee conducted interviews of those who were short-listed and then whittled their number down to four. One of those four was Det. Aubrey Culver of the LPD.
The four semifinalists went through an assessment process, and City Manager Mike Burns took those four down to two. The finalists are Lt. Dennis Albert and Deputy Dale DeKorte, both of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office.
The public will have a chance to meet both candidates during an open house on the Lowell Showboat on Monday, Dec. 2, from 5-7pm. It’s our understanding that Lowell City Council will have the final decision on which candidate gets the job.
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