Lowell Police Department: February Incident Highlights

Our monthly series sharing highlights from the Lowell Police Department continue to be one of our most popular articles each month.  The month of February is the shortest month of the year but that didn’t necessarily mean fewer incidents within the department. In fact, due to the flood, additional officers were on patrol.  There were three medical incidents and 10 traffic incidents during the month of February.

During a routine patrol a known wanted subject was seen in the passenger seat of a vehicle.  The officer followed the car, which tried to evade the police car by going into parking lots.  After traveling through an alley the officer noticed the passenger had exited the vehicle. The passenger was ordered to stop and was arrested on outstanding warrants.

A possible drunk driver was stopped.  Upon approaching the car, an intoxicating smell was noted.  The driver was arrested on drunk driving charges. A witness indicated the driver was going 85 mph on Alden Nash and was driving aggressively.  The subject, a male from Marne had an open beer can in the car. This was the third offense, which is a felony, of driving under the influence.

A subject was being sent threatening emails which were intimidating and possibly stalking.  A possible phone number of the sender of the emails was determined. No one answered when the number was called and messages went unanswered.  After an officer attempted to make contact by phone, the emails stopped.

A female subject reported approximately $1k in a fraudulent credit card charge.  The charge was still pending at a store located in CT. The credit card company was contacted to work on canceling the charge.  The police department reminds people to check credit card and bank statements often.

Dollar General called the department to report retail fraud in progress.  The cashier recognized a male and female suspect from the night prior as individuals attempting to steal items.  The suspects were also called on the week before related to fraud. Both suspects left the business with items which weren’t paid for.  The female suspect is seen on surveillance video entering the location with an empty purse but left with some non purchased items inside.  The pair attempted to buy some items but the credit card given for payment was declined. Men’s clothing and Hot Shot bug spray were stolen.  The male suspect was charged with two counts of retail fraud and was arrested on February 10. The female suspect was charged with one count of retail fraud and had not been arrested at the time the report was filed.

A driver was stopped for traveling 55 mph in a 25 mph zone on Bowes Road.  Upon walking up to the car, the officer smelled intoxicants. A field sobriety test was given resulting in a .175 blood alcohol level.  The driver was taken to the Kent County Jail for drunk driving and was also charged with endangerment as a 16-year-old passenger was also in the vehicle.  

Last month a juvenile was accused of unauthorized purchases on a parent’s credit card.  The same juvenile continued to make unauthorized purchases in February. The case was again turned over to juvenile prosecutors.

During a motor vehicle accident the at fault driver smelled of alcohol.  The driver ran a stop sign which caused the accident but felt the alcohol did not contribute to the ability or lack of ability to drive.  The driver was arrested on charges of operating while under the influence. This was the first offense.

LPD was dispatched to a fight near the 200 block of We. Main.  An on duty Kent County Deputy was the one who called in the incident, but drove by rather than stopping to investigate.  By the time LPD arrived, one half involved in the altercation had left the scene. A male remained and reported he and his brother were having trouble with people by a pool table, which escalated and was brought outside.  The suspect who left the scene was not identified and vehicle information was not obtained.

The following was received by the Lowell Police Department on 3.22.18 as a retraction to the above information provided regarding the Kent County Deputy who called in an incident involving a fight:

After a dual investigation with the Kent County Sheriff’s office and the Lowell Police department it was determined that the on duty deputy did not drive by a fight in progress in mid February. It was determined a passerby drove by the fight in progress and reported the fight to the deputy taking a report in the Lowell Police Department Parking lot. The deputy radioed the call into dispatch which routed the Lowell Police Department. Our officer received the radio transmission though his portable radio while completing a report in the Lowell Police Department squad room and misheard the radio traffic by the deputy.

We would like to apologize to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office for any inconvenience that was caused by this event,  and also would like to thank them for their thorough investigation. We all need to remember we are only as good as the information we have at the time of the events.

Sincerely,
Chief Steve Bukala
Lowell Police Department

Ionia County assisted in an arrest of a subject with five warrants out for arrest.  After meeting with Ionia officers, the subject was arrested and taken to jail.

During the February flooding, a drunk driver ignored barricades, driving toward water over the street.  The driver was stopped and a field sobriety test was given. The driver had a .11 blood alcohol level and was arrested and taken to jail.

The following day another drunk driver ignored barricades on S. Washington and drove into a flooded area.  The vehicle was submerged up to its doors and had to back out in order for the driver to exit the vehicle. A blood alcohol level of .17 led to an arrest of operating while intoxicated, including a high blood alcohol level.

An officer dealt with a felonious assault in a trailer park.  A male suspect assaulted a female subject with a screwdriver and hammer.  The female had a puncture wound on her forehead in addition to scrapes on her ears.  She was taken to the hospital. The male suspect was pointed out by witnesses and was arrested on felonious assault.  He claimed someone came at him with a hammer in “an assassin like fashion”. A warrant for the suspect’s arrest was issued and a no contact order with the female subject was also written.

During a routine patrol a known wanted subject drove by.  The subject had a warrant out for arrest in Ionia and was taken into custody without incident.

While on patrol an officer noticed a Jeep Liberty pass by and ran the plate.  The registered owner of the vehicle had a suspended license. During a traffic stop, upon approaching the vehicle, the smell of marijuana was noted.  The driver had no license but was able to produce a paper copy of one, claiming the actual license was in a different pair of pants. There was marijuana in a location next to the steering wheel as well as a pipe.  The driver claimed a medical marijuana card was with the license in another pair of pants. The driver had a lock box but it was not being used. The driver was charged with driving on a suspended license and illegal transporting of marijuana.  

Updated on 3.22.18 at 4:30pm to add retraction information received by the Lowell Police Department regarding one of the reported incidents.

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