What began as a call to deputies about an upset client at Huron Behavioral Health turned into several Bad Axe facilities and services going into a two hour lockdown on Wednesday, December 7, after the client attempted a carjacking in the clinic’s parking lot.
The man, age 22, had just stormed out of his therapy session around 11:30 a.m. when he approached a vehicle in the parking lot, telling the car’s driver to get out of the car. When the driver did not, the man fled the area, getting about three-quarters of a mile away from the scene before continuing on. Despite officers believing that the man was only dangerous to himself, Bad Axe Public Schools, the Huron Medical Care Facility, McLaren Thumb Region Hospital, the Huron Area Technical Center and the Huron Intermediate School District Offices all went into a pre-cautionary lockdown as the manhunt began around noon.
Members of the Bad Axe and Ubly Police Departments, and Michigan State Troopers from the Caro post aided Sheriff Kelly Hanson and deputies with the search, with a perimeter being established at Barrie Road, near where the man fled. Search spots were decided based on tips from local public and cellular service providers, with the sheriff’s office also using resources such as a drone and ATV to aid in the search, with the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office lending a tracking K-9 to the efforts.
Just before 2:00 p.m., the 22-year-old was found hiding in a ditch by both drone footage and a deputy searching a nearby hunting blind, about a half-mile east of Thomas Road, near the railroad tracks. Taking him into custody without issue, the Huron County Sheriff’s Office had the man taken to McLaren Thumb Region hospital for a mental health evaluation and treatment for possible hypothermia.
Per his press release, Sheriff Kelly Hanson says that it’s been undetermined thus far if the man will be charged for the attempted car-jacking.
