By Paul Garrod
Staff Writer
news4garrod@gmail.com
A 40-year-old Kalamazoo County man, who was arrested Thursday morning, January 30, in Kalamazoo County on two outstanding warrants, now faces additional charges stemming from thefts throughout Van Buren and Kalamazoo counties, according to a press release from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
Over the past several months, Van Buren County Sheriff’s deputies and Michigan State Po-lice troopers have been investigating a series of thefts, including storage unit break-ins, trailer thefts, and residential burglaries across the region. On Jan. 29, a break-in occurred at a home in Decatur Township, where items were stolen. The homeowner’s surveillance cameras captured footage of the suspect and his vehicle, which was shared on social media, spurring further inves-tigation.
On Jan. 30, at approximately 8:30 a.m., the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip about the suspect’s vehicle and its location, which was reportedly at a residence about a mile into Kalamazoo County. Deputies set up surveillance and observed the suspect’s ve-hicle in the 10000 block of WP Avenue. Deputies, assisted by the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, attempted to make a traffic stop as the vehicle was leaving the residence, the suspect pulled back into the driveway and then fled on foot. Deputies and detectives gave chase, and the suspect was apprehended, attempting to gain entry into a neighboring pole barn through a win-dow. The suspect, who was not named pending potential charges, was arrested on the outstand-ing warrants of parole absconder and dangerous drugs, both issued out of Kalamazoo County.
Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott said, “Remarkably, the suspect was wearing the same clothes that were visible in the surveillance footage from the Decatur Township burglary.” A subsequent search warrant was executed at the location where authorities recovered stolen property from several storage unit break-ins throughout Van Buren and Kalamazoo counties.
Additionally, property from an unreported break-in at a home in Porter Township was also recovered. The homeowners in Porter Township were out of town at the time of the break-in, and the crime had not yet been reported. Among the stolen items recovered was a significant amount of sports memorabilia, previously reported as stolen from an Army veteran’s storage unit. “Much of the memorabilia was successfully returned to the veteran’s family, this as the veteran had since passed away,” said Sheriff Abbott.
As the investigation progresses, more thefts are being linked to the suspect. The Van Bu-ren County Sheriff’s Office and Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office are continuing their collabora-tion and will forward findings to their respective prosecutors for potential charges. Additional charges for resisting arrest and drug possession are expected.
Sheriff Abbott urges the public to remain vigilant, report suspicious activities, and consid-er utilizing security surveillance systems to help identify and apprehend criminals, as demon-strated in this case.
