A Sanilac County man was arrested and jailed for malicious destruction of property last Tuesday, with the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office saying that alcohol is suspected to be involved.
On Tuesday, August 29, between 9:45 pm and 10:45pm, deputies were dispatched to Watertown after Central Dispatch received multiple calls of a subject in a pickup truck tearing up the roadways in Watertown. Deputies checked the area and were unable to locate the vehicle in question.
A short time later, Central Dispatch received additional calls of a subject on a dirt bike again tearing up the roadways in Watertown. Officers returned to the area and located the dirt bike in question. Deputies attempted a traffic stop on Watertown Road at which time the dirt bike initially stopped before fleeing north into a field.
While in the field, deputies observed the dirt bike stall and again attempted to contact the driver of the dirt bike. The driver was able to get the dirt bike started before deputies made contact and the driver again fled north through the field. As the suspect was observed in the field, deputies witnessed him causing significant damage to the crops throughout the fields in the area.
Deputies, who were familiar with the suspect, contacted an uninvolved subject at the suspect’s residence. At that time, officers were able to speak with the suspect by telephone and had the suspect exit the field to speak with them. In contacting the suspect, police found that he was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol.
The suspect, a 31-year-old man from Sandusky, was arrested and lodged at the Sanilac County Jail pending arraignment. The man is expected to be arraigned on multiple charges including Operating While intoxicated and Malicious Destruction of Property as well as weapons related offenses.
Suspect information is being withheld at this time as this is an ongoing investigation.
