A missing child was found and safely returned to their father after Tuscola County law enforcement were tipped off to the mother’s whereabouts through a felonious assault report.
Tuscola County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Zube and Deputy Kyle Broecker were informed by dispatchers around 10:46 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, of an incident needing immediate follow-up. Dispatchers relayed that an intoxicated man had driven to the Sheriff’s Office to report a felonious assault. The man had told dispatchers he had recently consumed both drugs and alcohol.
When the officers made contact with the man, 52-year-old Joseph Warner of Caro, he was obviously intoxicated, and had a cut on his hand that would require stitches. Warner relayed that the woman he was living with had cut him with a knife, with the woman identified as a person of interest in a separate case concerning parental kidnapping.
Officers learned that the missing child was at Warner’s home, with Caro law enforcement going by the residence and confirming the child’s presence at the location. Upon confirmation, sheriff’s deputies and Caro Police approached the home, hearing movement and a woman’s voice as they did.
However, they received no response when they announced their presence several times, and fearing for the child’s safety, officers forced the door open. When they did so, a woman emerged from a bedroom and was walking towards a large knife when she was detained. Though she gave a fake name, officers determined that the woman was the person of interest and that the eight-year-old with her was the missing child.
The child reunited with their father at the sheriff’s office, with the parental kidnapping case being handled by the Department of Health and Human Services and Bay County law enforcement. Upon searching the home, police noted furniture was moved in an attempt to barricade the entrances to the home. Recovered along with narcotics and drug paraphernalia was an AR15 rifle with the serial numbers ground off.
Angela Withers was charged with felonious assault, resisting and obstructing officers, and possession of crack cocaine. Joseph Warner was arrested for OWI controlled substance 2nd offense, harboring a fugitive, possession of a firearm in commission of a felony and possession of crack cocaine. Detectives are working on the firearm to track its history and previous owner.
This is a developing story with information subject to change.
