Keeping Lowell Safe: Police Beat for March 2019

In March, the Lowell Police Department received 191 calls for service. These included the following:

  • 12 medical calls
  • 18 assists to other agencies
  • 13 total arrests
  • 12 car crashes
  • 2 instances of operating while intoxicated
  • 1 drug arrest
  • 1 ordinance violation

From liberating stolen bacon to taking a drunk driver off the road, here’s more about some of the department’s March cases.

Taking Breakfast To-Go

An officer responded to a business where a suspected shoplifter was in the store. Staff recognized the woman as someone who had stolen items a few days prior. The female was observed stuffing items into her coat. When stopped by the officer, she pulled out two packages of bacon, a carton of eggs, hamburger buns and bread. It is believed she previously stole cat food. She was charged with retail fraud, third degree.

Disorderly Conduct at the Doctor’s Office

The police were called to a local doctor’s office in response to a drunken, disorderly person. The man was so intoxicated that he had urinated and defecated on himself. An ambulance was called to the scene. He was medically cleared and released to his wife. The man’s blood alcohol level was 0.17, and he was found to be in violation of his bond. He had a pending drunk driving charge and a condition of his bond was that he not drink any alcohol.

Difficult Road to Sobriety

In another case, police had to remove a man from the Flat River. He was going through alcohol withdraw and having hallucinations. Believing ghosts in his house were trying to kill him, he fled to the river. He was provided medical care for hypothermia.

Can’t Run from the Law

Officer Stephens stopped a speeding vehicle near a known drug house. The driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot into some trees. Officer Stephens stayed with the vehicle and secured the occupants. One was a 19-year who was in possession of 28.9 grams of marijuana. Under current law, you must be 21 to use recreational marijuana, and he was charged with possession.

Later in the week, the Grand Rapids Police Department called to say they had picked up the driver. Apparently, he had texts on his phone indicating he had evaded the police in Lowell. He is being charged in Grand Rapids for drugs and weapons violations.

City Coyotes Spotted

Sgt. Hurst was dispatched to Stoney Lakeside Park to investigate reports of coyotes running through it. Sgt. Hurst did not observe any coyotes while there. It is unclear what would have happened if coyotes had been found.

Potential Drunk Driver Gets Off the Hook

An officer responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot. The caller said the truck and its occupant had been in the lot for approximately three hours. At one point, the man got out of his vehicle, urinated on it and got back into it. The caller had approached the vehicle and found the occupant asleep.

The responding officer observed that the vehicle wasn’t parked in a specific parking spot. There was also an odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle. When the officer asked the driver to submit to a breath test, the man simply turned around and put his hands behind his back. Later, at the jail, he agreed to a breath test which registered his blood alcohol level as 0.19. That level is more than double the legal limit allowed for operating a motor vehicle.

The man was arrested for operating while intoxicated. It would be his third offense, making it a felony. However, the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office decided to drop the charges. The man never admitted to driving, and since he was in his vehicle for three hours, he could have theoretically done all his drinking during that period.

Domestic Violence and Drunk Driving

Police were dispatched to a home on a call of domestic violence. The suspect had fled the scene but pulled up to the house at the same time as the officer. He was intoxicated and had a blood alcohol level of 0.18. He is being charged with domestic violence, second offense and operating while intoxicated, high BAC.

Assault at Local Bar

Over the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day, a drunk patron was asked to leave a local bar. He returned and attacked another patron. Appearing to choose his victim at random, he bit the man on the face. When the victim’s wife tried to pull the suspect back, she was pushed into a table.

Police were able to identify the suspect and went to his house. His wife said he was working out of state. Police contacted the company which said the suspect was not out-of-state for work. The victim was able to pull the suspect out of a photo line-up. The suspect has been charged with aggravated assault and battery.

New Officer at LPD

Lowell Police Department welcomed a new officer, Aubrey Culver, last month. Officer Culver works part-time in Sparta and will serve part-time in Lowell as well. She is the first female officer in the city since 2016.

1 Comment

  1. Dear Lowell PD: is it possible the woman who stole the bacon, eggs, etc. may need some $$ for food or just food? I would not want to approach this alone, but I’d like to help if I could. You know if this person might have other issues, ie. drugs, etc.
    Or FROM might be able to assist, if this person qualifies. Just wondering. No one should be hungry and have to steal. Thanks and I’ll take your advice. I read the police activities on the Lowell site through Facebook.
    I live over by Whites Bridge & Potters (technically, Belding)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*