Three Rivers police, as well as other law enforcement agencies, search for a wanted man after an hours-long police presence in the 500 block of Ninth Street in Three Rivers Tuesday. After several hours of a possible standoff and searching, police were unable to locate the wanted man.
By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
THREE RIVERS — Three Rivers police on Wednesday arrested a suspect that was wanted on a felony warrant following an hours-long police presence in Three Rivers Tuesday.
According to Three Rivers police, officers from the Three Rivers Police Department were at a home in the 500 block of Ninth Street, near the intersection with Buck Street, at 9 a.m. to help the Centreville-Constantine Police Department serve a search warrant for stolen property that was allegedly at the house.
While there, a few of the more than dozen people that were at the residence reportedly told officers that there was a man who was wanted by police in the residence for an unrelated matter to the original search warrant, and that he was armed with two handguns. At that point, according to Three Rivers police, the St. Joseph County Special Response Team was activated, as well as multiple other police agencies.
Three Rivers Police Chief Scott Boling said the suspect, who was not identified, has had a few prior run-ins with police, and that the house involved has had other investigations tied to it in the past.
Police surrounded the residence for several hours, while Animal Control was brought out as well due to what police called “aggressive” dogs at the residence. At one point, one of the dogs reportedly exited the building through a second-story window out onto an overhanging roof and jumped down to the ground from the roof.
After going through the house, which police said has “nooks and crannies,” they were unable to locate the man in question, nor were they able to locate the stolen property they were originally there to search for.
Boling said police searched for the suspect throughout the night and into the morning, and at 9:46 a.m. Wednesday, the suspect was located and arrested on the outstanding felony warrant, as well as an unknown additional felony charge. The investigation is still ongoing, and additional charges may be sought.
On Wednesday, Boling reported that an additional search warrant was obtained for the residence, in which numerous firearms, narcotics, and a “large amount” of marijuana was seized.
An arrest of an unrelated man who had reportedly been on the property was made after police were wrapping up their initial investigation just before 4 p.m. Three Rivers Police Chief Scott Boling told WWMT the arrest was for a parole violation.
Three Rivers police were assisted at the scene by the St. Joseph Valley Special Response Team, Centreville-Constantine Police Department, Michigan State Police, and the Three Rivers Fire Department. Boling also thanked residents of Three Rivers for their assistance with the investigation.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
