Keeping Lowell Safe: Police Beat for March 2018

Lowell Police Chief Steve Bukala says March was a slower month for the department. “It’s usually slow this time of year,” he explains.

However, you wouldn’t know that by looking at the long list of reports logged by officers for the month of March. Most notably, the department responded to:

• 7 accidents
• 11 medical assists
• 3 drunk drivers

Beyond that, they helped sort out domestic disturbances, took care of some outstanding warrants and helped track down a stolen car too.

Here’s a rundown of some of what kept our boys in blue busy in March.

Driving Under the Influence

Drunk or drugged driving puts everyone on the road at risk, and the Lowell Police Department responded to three incidences of it in March.

Drunk Driver #1: This incident was actually in a neighboring township, but the Kent County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Lowell Police Department. When the Lowell officer arrived at a local veterinary clinic, he found a woman behaving disorderly. She was there to pick up her dog, but the staff did not want to release the animal since she appeared intoxicated.

The woman insisted it was perfectly legal for her to drink since she was older than age 21. However, she did admit she had driven herself to the clinic. A roadside breath test revealed a blood alcohol level of .18. She was arrested, and the test at the jail revealed a level of .24. The legal limit to drive in Michigan is .08. This was her second offense.

Drunk Driver #2: An officer stopped a vehicle for having an expired plate. Upon talking to the driver, the officer could smell the odor of intoxicants. The subject said he was on his way home from work and had stopped in Ada for two drinks during happy hour. It was 8pm.

A roadside breath test revealed a blood alcohol level of .12. The driver was arrested, and his jail test came back at .11. It was his first (and hopefully last) offense.

Drugged Driver #3: The final driver who was arrested for operating a vehicle while under the influence hadn’t been drinking. Instead, he appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

A report came in about a vehicle being driven erratically from Ada to Lowell, and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Lowell Police Department. The suspect pulled into the Meijer parking lot where the Lowell officer observed him dropping items on the ground, mumbling and slurring his speech. He was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs.

Bukala notes driving under the influence of drugs is becoming almost as common as drunk driving. Officers go through an Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) program to help them distinguish between someone who might be having a medical emergency and some who has taken drugs.

Other Driving Infractions

While patrolling the roads, Lowell Police found more than drunk drivers and speeders. During one traffic stop for excessive speed, the officer noticed a strong smell of marijuana. The driver had 4.5 grams of marijuana and marijuana materials in the car but did not have a medical marijuana card. The driver was discovered to have an outstanding warrant and was arrested for the warrant as well as misdemeanor use of marijuana.

On another stop, a female driver was traveling 45mph in a 25mph zone on Bowes Road. The officer noticed a smell of marijuana coming from the car. While the driver said she had a medical marijuana card, she did not have it with her. Then, she said she had been driving people around, and they may have left some marijuana items in the car. A pipe and oil were found in the center console, and the driver was issued a marijuana citation.

Another driver was actively smoking marijuana while going through a local car wash. However, the police were not notified until after the fact, and the license plate number provided came back as having no record, meaning it was an old or incorrect number.

In another stop that ended in a marijuana citation, an officer stopped a car for having an expired plate. After a strong smell of marijuana was detected from the car, and 7.5 grams of the substance were found in the vehicle. The driver did not have a medical marijuana card and was cited for both the expired plate and the use of marijuana.

Domestic and Neighbor Disputes

When things go wrong between friends, family or neighbors, the Lowell Police Department is sometimes called upon to step in and help. For instance, officers were on-hand in a standby peace officer capacity as a woman removed her property from an apartment. As part of the dispute with a male subject at the apartment, she refused to return a mobile phone. Since the mobile phone contract was in the male’s name, he terminated the service with the carrier.

On a weekend, officers were dispatched to an apartment on a call of a drunk and disorderly person. Dispatch advised that someone had punched a hole in a wall, and officers found a male subject locked out of an apartment. He said he had been visiting a female friend when the friend’s daughter and her friend asked to drive his car. He refused and was locked out of the apartment. The female subject disputed that story and said the male had been drinking vodka all day. The occupants of the apartment wanted him to leave. The male subject walked away from the apartment, and his father picked him up.

A concerned mother called to say she had not seen her daughter in several days. The mother was concerned the daughter may be held against her will by a male party living in the city. Officers visited the male’s residence and with his consent, searched the property. Police did not locate the daughter on the premises, and the male subject said she had not been there. Officers noted the daughter had multiple outstanding warrants and may not want to be found.

Officers were called to an apartment at 2:22am because an upstairs neighbor was making loud noises. Banging from the unit was shaking the floor and walls of a lower unit. Officers tried to make contact with the person in the upper apartment, but he or she did not answer the door. The matter was referred to the apartment manager for follow-up.

In another neighbor dispute, a woman called police because a male subject was disturbing her and her son. The male subject had an eviction notice but was purposely slamming doors and had apparently spit on the woman’s vehicle. Lowell Police tried to make contact with the male subject. Despite the fact that the TV and lights were on in the apartment, the male refused to answer the door. Police then called and left a message saying the harassing behavior needed to stop or it would be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office.

Finally, a woman called police because one of her neighbors was yelling about her dog being off its lease. The neighbor’s girlfriend also tried to kick the dog. Officers advised the woman that dogs must be leashed and also spoke to the neighbor about his behavior.

Stolen Goods

The Lowell Police Department responded to alleged thefts – both big and small – last month. One of the smaller thefts was a retail fraud complaint. A worker in a local store noticed a six-pack of Busch Beer was missing two cans. When the surveillance video was reviewed, it appeared a heavyset woman with long hair might have taken the cans. The cost of the beer was approximately $5.70 plus tax and deposit. The Lowell Police Department placed a still image from the video surveillance on its Facebook page in an attempt to identity the woman. She remains at large.

Officers also responded to a possible burglary in process. When they arrived, they found two individuals who had shown up to empty out a vacant property after the death of its owner. There was damage to the front and back door where it appeared someone had tried to force entry. The individuals checked and it did not appear anything was taken. With their consent, officers searched the house and did not find anyone inside.

Early in the month, an officer responded to a call from a store about a female trying to return stolen goods for cash. When an officer stopped and ID’d the woman as she left the store, she admitted she was trying to make a return. She had $200 worth of merchandise with her and was trying to return $80 worth of goods to the Lowell store. Her mom was waiting in a car in the parking lot but drove off and left her daughter as she was being questioned. It was determined that the two appeared to be part of an organized group that was conducting retail fraud at locations across the region. The woman was arrested for first degree retail fraud and organized retail fraud, both are felonies with one punishable by up to five years in prison.

A woman at Laurels of Kent apparently gave her checkbook and debit card to her boyfriend so he could return it to her home. He allegedly make several unauthorized transactions worth more than $800. He may have also used her Bridge Card which would be a felony. Lowell Police currently have an open investigation on the matter.

Officers were dispatched to meet a woman in the Lowell Police Department lobby. She said someone stole 100 Norco tablets from her first floor bedroom. The woman had gone to the store and found them missing when she returned. When officers asked who could have taken them, she mentioned she’d had a candle party with several guests. However, she could not identify any of the attendees. When an officer confronted her about her lack of details, the woman became very vague about the theft. Her doctor’s office has been contacted and based on information about her prescription requests, it appears she may be a drug seeker. The matter is still under investigation.

Other Cases Involving Cars

In a malicious destruction of property case, the tires on a parked vehicle were slashed. While the police have a suspect, he is not being cooperative.

However, not every case involving cars is malicious. For instance, an officer pulled into a park at 11pm to investigate a vehicle. City parks close at dusk. When the officer spotlighted the vehicle, it was discovered that the occupants were having a “rendezvous” of sorts. They were checked and sent on their way.

On another day, an officer was stationary at Main and Pleasant when he heard a loud racing engine to the west. He followed the sound and found a green Challenger in the Tractor Supply parking lot. It was 10pm, and the store was closed. The car began to race its engine and spun around, creating dust and smoke. The officer stopped the vehicle and found a female driver to be the lone occupant of the car. She was employed by a dealership in Grandville, and the car was from the dealership. She had a warrant out for her arrest and was arrested.

On another occasion, a man called the police to say he thought his son was driving a stolen vehicle to Meijer. Officers were unable to locate the vehicle that night. At a later date, an officer pulled over a car driving without headlights. Although the officer had to leave to attend a priority domestic assault call, he was able to record the vehicle information. When he was able to run the plate, he discovered it did not match the stopped vehicle. Knowing the man who had previously called about the stolen vehicle, the officer proceeded to his residence and found the vehicle in question parked off Boulder Dr. The son admitted he stole the vehicle from a local dealership. It was the second vehicle he had stolen.

All the Rest

Among the other things that kept Lowell Police busy in March was a report of a bird at large. Attempts to capture the bird with a cardboard box were unsuccessful, and the Lowell Police Department placed its photo on its Facebook page. However, it does not appear to have ever been recovered by its owners.

A woman at an apartment complex complained about potential mail fraud. On one occasion, she found a bobby pin stuck in her mailbox door. On another occasion, the corner of an envelope containing a check had been ripped and the check was found outside the envelope. The police spoke to the Post Office and residents who did not report any other concerns with delivery to that complex. There are no suspects.

Workers at a local gas station found opioid paraphernalia in a trash receptacle. Lowell Police discussed employee safety with the staff and stressed the importance of wearing rubber gloves and not pushing down trash in case needles may be present.

An officer responded to a report of a suspicious subject at a bar after it had closed. A person was observed looking at a mobile phone inside the darkened building. It was the bartender who had not yet left.