It’s been a busy couple months for the Lowell Police Department. They have been a presence at community events such as Lowell Pride and the Riverwalk Festival, addressed dozens of citizen calls for assistance and continue to work on reducing speeds on local roads. In addition, a former member of the department was awarded a Medal of Valor for his response to a call as a Lowell police officer.
In May, the department logged 202 calls, including the following:
- 44 assists to other agencies
- 21 general and motorist assists
- 16 suspicious situations
- 16 ordinance violations
- 10 welfare checks
- 10 traffic accidents
- 8 pistol permits and sales
- 4 non-aggravated assault
- 3 stalking and harassment
- 3 disorderly conduct
- 2 Flock hits
- 1 malicious destruction of property
Lowell officers also made 158 traffic stops that resulted in 4 citations in May.
The department had slightly more cases in June with 249 logged, including the following:
- 46 assists to other agencies
- 31 suspicious situations
- 21 ordinance violations
- 17 pistol permits and sales
- 10 general and motorist assists
- 10 welfare checks
- 9 disorderly conduct
- 6 traffic accidents
- 4 non-aggravated assault
- 4 malicious destruction of property
- 2 aggravated/felonious assault
- 1 Flock hit
Traffic stops in June totaled 143 with 13 citations issued.
Update on July Flock Hit
Before we get into the May and June cases, we have an update on a Flock hit that occurred earlier this month. One of the city’s Flock cameras captured the license plate of a vehicle that had been reported stolen. When police tried to pull over the vehicle, it took off and crashed into another vehicle, closing Hudson for hours.
Police Chief Chris Hurst notes that a Lowell officer happened to be at the Main and Hudson intersection when they received the alert from the Flock system and saw the vehicle traveling south through the intersection. Hurst says there was really no pursuit involved in the incident. Instead, the officer turned around and activated their vehicle’s lights which resulted in the car in question speeding off down the road.
The suspect was believed to be going about 80 miles per hour when he hit another vehicle past the Bowes Road intersection. The suspect left his vehicle and fled on foot across the field there.
Deputies from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office provided assistance, and a K-9 unit found the man in the woods near Stoney Lakeside Park and detained him there until officers arrested him.
The suspect is a 20-year-old man from Greenville. After being treated for injuries to his arm – presumably from the K-9 – he was transported to jail for arraignment the next day. The driver of the other vehicle was transported to the hospital with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, according to Hurst.
Hurst thanks all those witnesses who remained on the scene to assist officers with the investigation.
May Traffic Accidents
May cases for the department included a couple notable traffic accidents. One was a hit and run in a parking lot in which someone hit a semi-truck and then took off without stopping.
In another accident, a vehicle turning off Monroe onto Main hit a juvenile on a bike. The juvenile was knocked off their bike, and the driver stopped to assist. While it seemed as those the biker was ok at the time, they were later taken to the hospital by a parent and treated for soft tissue injuries.
CSC Ends Up Being a False Report
A case that was previously being handled as a criminal sexual conduct complaint turned into a false report.
A person claimed to see questionable photos of a child on another person’s phone, but upon investigation, police found nothing criminal. It appears that the other person purposely misrepresented what they saw although their motive is still being investigated.
The case has been turned over to the prosecutor for review to determine if charges are warranted for filing a false report of a felony.
Claim of Injury Followed by Attempted Theft
A lawn crew was working in the Valley Vista neighborhood when one worker set down a leaf blower on the sidewalk temporarily. A pedestrian allegedly tripped over the equipment and demanded to see the worker’s manager.
When the manager rode up on his lawn mower, the pedestrian attempted to take the key out of the mower. The workers asked the pedestrian to leave, and the pedestrian grabbed a gas can and started down the street. When the workers said they were calling the police, the pedestrian dropped the gas can and ran off.
The pedestrian is known to police, but the lawn care workers decided against pressing charges.
Family Situations
In one domestic situation in May, police responded to arguments between a couple. The police have responded to repeated calls by these individuals, and this particular incident involved words being exchanged rather than any physical confrontation.
In another family case, a woman asked police for assistance in stopping harassing letters from her mother. The woman had already blocked all other forms of electronic communication with her mother, but she was now receiving letters through the mail.
Counterfeit Money Being Passed Around Town
In June, police took reports from multiple Lowell businesses which had received counterfeit money. Police believe all the cases are related to the same perpetrator.
Bomb Threat at Litehouse
A disgruntled job applicant was apparently behind a bomb threat at Litehouse last month. The person apparently left a note at the front desk saying a bomb was in the building but after thorough investigation, it was determined no threat existed.
The suspect had apparently been applying unsuccessfully for a job at Litehouse. When asked why they made the threat, they told police, “I kept applying, and I got mad.”
The person has been charged with a felony for making a false threat of a bomb or explosive device.
New City Ordinance to Be Tested in Court
A Lowell resident has been taken to court over a new city ordinance that provides for the possibility of up to 93 days in jail or a $500 fine for repeated infractions related to stalking and harassing behavior.
“It was cumulative over a great deal of time,” says Detective Aubrey Culver who says the ordinance wasn’t used lightly.
A number of complaints led to the misdemeanor ticket being written. Among the harassing behavior cited, the person made 90 consecutive phone calls to a local radio station, effectively shutting down their phone line.
Juveniles Believed to Be Responsible for Vandalism
There was a spate of vandalism in June, including firecrackers placed in a mailbox on Bowes Road, fires at a field off Bowes Road and at the train tracks by Grand River, BB guns being shot off and the bathrooms smashed at Recreation Park.
Culver says officers believe three groups of youth are involved. Those who were shooting the BB guns have been caught, named and charged. As of earlier this month, suspects were still being investigated for the other crimes.
Lowell has a 10pm curfew for minors younger than 17, and Culver says the crimes appear to occur overnight by juveniles breaking curfew.
Jason Diaz Awarded Medal of Valor
Also, in June, Hurst awarded former Lowell officer Jason Diaz with the Medal of Valor for his response to an August 2020 incident.
While on patrol as a Lowell police officer at 2am on Aug. 29, 2020, Diaz saw a vehicle with its high-beams on and no license plate and turned to follow it. The vehicle fled the city, reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and eventually turned down Whites Bridge Road where it was stopped by a tree that had fallen across the roadway.
Diaz opened his door to exit his vehicle when the suspect reversed in his direction and hit his cruiser. Diaz fired three shots while the vehicle was reversing and then another eight as the car took off down the road.
As is the case whenever an officer discharges their weapon, the case was investigated both internally and by an outside agency. In this case, Lowell handed over all documentation and video to the Ionia County Sherriff’s Office for review.
Their review showed that Diaz acted appropriately, but the Michigan Attorney General took exception to the shots fired while the suspect was driving away. One of those shots injured a person in the vehicle, and Diaz was charged in the matter. He subsequently resigned from the Lowell force.
In 2021, a judge dismissed all charges and in 2023, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld that dismissal. In making its determination, the Circuit Court noted that the driver was using his car as a weapon and had narrowly missed Diaz and almost hit another officer on the road as well. The decision said, in part:
“So the other aspect that I think is very critical here, in the overall assessment of the situation, is that the fleeing felon, so to speak, was with a dangerous weapon…not only did this fleeing felon with a dangerous weapon go about continuing to flee, but the fact that there was an off-duty officer who had to actually take evasive action, in the middle of the night, to avoid being hit, I think is indicative of the fact that this truly was a dangerous fleeing felon.”
Now that the dust has settled, Hurst awarded Diaz the Medal of Valor during a June ceremony attended by Sheriff Michael Poulin and Captain Mike Herremans of Muskegon County – where Diaz currently works.
“Jason is a patriot at heart. He bleeds red, white and blue,” Hurst said in his remarks at the ceremony. “(He’s) one of the bravest men I know.”
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