Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Father/Son Troubles, Drunken Drivers and a Larceny from Vehicle

Here's a roundup of police calls from Friday through Tuesday.

On Sunday, White Lake Township police were called to a residence on Jon Paul Drive for a neighbor dispute.

When they arrived, they discovered a man was upset because his neighbor allegedly had two of his 8-year-old son's toys and was refusing to give them back.

During a confrontation between the two men, the 8-year-old reportedly kicked the neighbor in the leg.

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"Police questioned the neighbor and he did admit to having one of the toys," Chief Edward Harris said.

The neighbor reportedly said he would return the toy, Harris said, and did not want to pursue assault charges against the 8-year-old.

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Police then returned to the man and his son. While in the home discussing the situation with the man, the boy stood up on a couch and held up a lead pipe toward an officer and allegedly demanded the return of his toys. The officer told the child he needed to put the pipe down and not threaten police officers with weapons. The father sat the child down.

The father was informed that the neighbor would not be pressing charges against the child but that he could potentially face parental control charges. Police then left.

Soon after leaving, police were called back to another residence on Jon Paul. When they arrived, they found the 8-year-old there. He reportedly told police he went to that home because his father had assaulted him.

Police took the boy home. While talking to the child, police reportedly discovered the father had pinched the child's face while trying to punish him for the earlier incident in which he brandished the pipe.

When they returned the child to the home, the father allegedly told police he wasn't sure what to do with the child. During their conversation, the child continued to act out and refused to listen to his father and police.

The father allegedly told police he was afraid the child had a knife hidden in the house, Harris said.

"They attempted to ask the child if he had a knife and where it was hidden, but he refused to answer," Harris said. "He than began to get abusive towards his father and the officer."

Once the child calmed down, police explained to the father he needed to get help for the child and enroll him in counselling before the child began to act out criminally.

Drunken Driving

A driver was arrested at 1 a.m. Sunday for operating while under the influence after crashing a car on Elizabeth Lake Road near Mill Street.

According to Harris, the man and his girlfriend said they had left Sprader's on the Lake and were on their way home when they got into a fight. The man allegedly lost control of the vehicle and ended up in a ditch.

When police arrived, both the man and his girlfriend were standing outside the vehicle.

"Our officer walked up to question them and caught a strong odor of intoxicants," Harris said.

The man failed field sobriety tests and told the officer he had started drinking at home earlier in the day then went to the bar and left shortly after.

The man reportedly told police he had about 10 beers and three shots of tequila.

Portable breath tests (PBT) were not available prior to publication time.

Harris said the man was arrested, processed and released pending blood test results and a court date. He was charged with operating while under the influence, second offense.

A second man was arrested in White Lake under Michigan's new Super Drunk law on Saturday at 5 p.m. after registering a .26 blood alcohol content (BAC).

Harris said people driving along M-59 were calling in to report a drunken driver near Hill Road.

An officer was dispatched and followed the vehicle as it crossed the median, making an extra-wide turn onto the opposite side of M-59. The officer reported seeing the vehicle weave in the lane as it was driving.

"The officer attempted a traffic stop, but the Ford Explorer kept going," Harris said.

The officer then activated his siren and the vehicle pulled over.

The driver, a 44-year-old from Springfield Township, reportedly failed his field sobriety test and blew a .26 when administered a PBT.

He was arrested and brought to the station where a second PBT revealed a BAC of .27. The man was held until sober and released pending the issuance of a warrant under the Super Drunk law. A super drunk, under Michigan law, is a first-time offender who registers a .17 BAC or higher. A person with such a high BAC will face a higher fine and stiffer penalties.

Larceny from vehicle

A van parked at Lakeland High School on Saturday was broken into while its owner and a passenger watched a softball game at the high school.

According to reports, the driver's-side window of the van was shattered and two purses inside were taken.

The purses contained keys, credit cards, cash and other items.

Later that same day, the stolen credits cards were used at a store at Oakland Mall in Troy.

The incident remains under investigation.


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