A Sunday skirmish in Minden City saw one man eventually deported and the police chief in the hospital.
According to information obtained by the Minden City Herald, Chief Rodney Jaskowski received a call around 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 23, concerning a possible bar fight starting after an out of town vehicle incident. The original incident, reported at 9:30pm, involved a driver almost hitting people with his car before he was ultimately followed to the Stumble Inn on Main Street.
Chief Jaskowski alerted the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office, and once cleared to respond, arrived at the bar around 10:00p.m. After handling an unrelated disorderly conduct matter, the chief observed a 27-year-old man identified by witnesses as the involved driver exit the building.
The visibly intoxicated man headed for the driver’s side of a parked car, at which point Chief Jaskowski stopped him and asked for ID. Upon learning that the man did not speak English, another person stepped in as translator, and told Jaskowski that the man did not have an ID as he was an undocumented immigrant.
While the man was being arrested and handcuffed, the translator told the chief that the man said he needed to pee and may do so in the police vehicle if ignored. Releasing one of the suspect’s hands so he could relieve himself, Chief Jaskowski instead found himself knocked unconscious by the suspect using the handcuff still on his wrist.
The man fled, and when the chief came to around 11:00 p.m., he called Sanilac County Dispatch for backup. Responding quickly, the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office contacted Sanilac EMS to transport the chief to McLaren Thumb Region Hospital, where he was treated for a concussion and later released.
Though a K-9 unit was requested by the sheriff’s office and one from their Lapeer counterparts en route, Sanilac County Undersheriff Nathan Smith confirmed that the dog was ultimately not needed for the 40 minute search that ended in the rearrest of the suspect near First and Fifth Streets, finding him with the handcuff still on his wrist.
Originally lodged at the Sanilac County Jail, the man was taken into custody by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services on Tuesday, July 25, for deportation back to Mexico.
Chief Jaskowski expressed gratitude to the witnesses who came to his aid and also assisted law enforcement during the search.
The Minden City Herald contributed to this report.
