District 1 counties of service: Baraga, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon.
No report
District 2 counties of service: Alger, Chippewa, Delta, Mackinac, Luce, Schoolcraft.
Conservation Officer (CO) Matthew Bowser checked a group of anglers on a local pier, where one individual claimed their fishing license was located inside their vehicle. CO Bowser advised the angler that he would follow up with them at the vehicle, but while he was occupied checking the remaining group members, the individual walked off the pier, entered their vehicle, and drove away. CO Bowser immediately returned to his patrol truck, initiated a traffic stop on the departing vehicle, and recontacted the subject. Upon further investigation, it was confirmed that the individual did not possess a valid fishing license, and CO Bowser issued a citation for the violation.
District 3 counties of service: Alpena, Antrim, Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Emmet, Montmorency, Otsego, Presque Isle.
No Report
District 4 counties of service: Benzie, Grand Traverse, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Newaygo, Oceana, Wexford.
On Memorial Day weekend, Sergeant Ben Shively patrolled the ORV area at Silver Lake State Park, responding to three personal injury accidents and two property damage accidents. During the patrol, Sgt. Shively also conducted traffic enforcement, issuing citations to one individual for excessive speed on the entrance ramp, two individuals for operating without seatbelts, and another for operating without a helmet and exhibition driving along the beach.
District 5 counties of service: Alcona, Arenac, Clare, Crawford, Gladwin, Iosco, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Osceola, Oscoda, Roscommon.
COs Matthew Zultak and Ben McAteer were patrolling ORV trails in Crawford County when they observed a side-by-side enter a closed trail. The COs positioned themselves ahead of the vehicle and activated their emergency lights as it approached, but the driver failed to stop and continued down the trail. The side-by-side was eventually forced to a halt after encountering a fallen tree blocking the pathway. Upon contact, CO Zultak observed the driver having difficulty maintaining balance and conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), which led to the driver's subsequent arrest for operating while intoxicated (OWI).
Sergeant Olsen and CO Matthew Zultak conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle and observed visible signs of impairment from the driver. CO Zultak administered SFSTs on the operator, resulting in the individual being arrested for operating under the influence of drugs (OUID).
CO Jesse Grzechowski was patrolling a powerline corridor in Alcona County for illegal ORV activity when he stopped two operators riding in a closed area. Upon inspection, CO Grzechowski noted that one rider only had the blank bottom portions of an ORV registration and trail sticker attached to the rear of the machine. When questioned, the rider initially claimed the top portions must have blown off while riding but later admitted the other operator had only purchased a single set of stickers and shared the bottom halves with him. Law enforcement action was taken for the violations.
District 6 counties of service: Bay, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Midland, Montcalm, Saginaw, Sanilac, Tuscola.
CO Cody Simmons was checking anglers fishing Bird Creek in Huron County for the opener of the possession season for bass and discovered three set body gripping traps along the bank that did not have the required identification tags attached. After making a few calls, CO Simmons was able to locate the owner of the traps. CO Simmons met with the owner and stressed the importance of tagging the traps with the proper identification and issued the owner a citation for using untagged traps.
While patrolling the Port Austin area of Huron County, CO Cody Simmons observed three ORVs traveling on M‑25, exceeding 25 mph and failing to operate on the extreme right of the roadway. CO Simmons initiated a stop; two ORVs complied, and one fled. The compliant operators stated they did not know the identity of the fleeing operator. Both operators who stopped were cited for operating an ORV on a public highway and were warned for speeding and improper lane position.
CO Mike Haas contacted two shore anglers at a DNR boat launch on a small inland lake in central Montcalm County. After asking about their success, CO Haas requested to check their fishing licenses. One angler produced his wallet, removed his folded license, and handed it to the officer. While verifying the license, CO Haas observed a small baggie containing a white powder protruding from the folded document. The CO removed the baggie and questioned the subject, who appeared surprised and nervous and was unable to provide a clear explanation. When advised the substance would be tested, the subject admitted it was cocaine and claimed he had forgotten it was in his wallet. CO Haas handcuffed and detained the subject pending the arrival of an MSP trooper with a field test kit. The substance tested positive for cocaine. The subject was arrested and transported to the Montcalm County Jail for lodging on possession of cocaine.
COs Dan Robinson, Michael Lator, and Zack Cardinal attended Project RED, Rural Education Day, in Gratiot County. About 300 students were given a presentation in small groups about the importance of ORV safety and operation.
CO Dan Robinson attended the Public Safety Expo in Mt. Pleasant. The event is a chance for families and kids to talk with first responders, ask questions, and learn about their unique differences. About 400 people were in attendance.
District 7 counties of service: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, St Joseph, Van Buren.
CO Carter Woodwyk was patrolling Allegan County when a “Be on the Lookout” (BOL) call was dispatched for a reckless ORV reportedly traveling up and down a county roadway at speeds estimated around 70 mph. The initial call was handled by local deputies, but they were unable to locate the ORV. A few hours later, CO Woodwyk patrolled the area and observed a side-by-side ORV on a trailer with one of its wheels and axles torn off. He continued down the roadway and located what appeared to be the crash site where the machine had been loaded onto the trailer. When he attempted to interview individuals at the location where the ORV was parked, he received no cooperation. The CO later conducted a follow up interview with the owner of the ORV who admitted he had been driving and crashed the machine but did not want to come forward when the CO was on scene the previous day. When asked why the crash was not reported as required, the owner did not provide a reason. Charges were forwarded to the Allegan County Prosecutor’s Office for failing to report an ORV crash.
CO Travis Dragomer contacted a group of juveniles operating a pontoon boat and two personal watercraft (PWCs). None of the vessels displayed current registration. Neither PWC operator was wearing a life jacket, and the pontoon boat had no life jackets on board. None of the operators had completed boater safety, and one PWC operator was below the legal age for operation. The vessel owner was contacted and issued multiple citations.
COs Jeff Robinette and Travis Dragomer were conducting a marine patrol on the St. Joseph River in Berrien County when they contacted three individuals fishing on the north pier in St. Joseph. During the check, the COs discovered that the individuals were using live rusty crayfish as bait. The group explained that they had caught the rusty crayfish in Indiana and brought them into Michigan to use as live bait. One individual was issued a citation for possessing live rusty crayfish for bait and the rusty crayfish was seized.
District 8 counties of service: Branch, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Shiawassee.
CO Nick Thornton was checking shore anglers when he contacted an individual who stated he had caught a couple of rock bass and presented his fishing license. When asked to produce the fish, the individual became quiet and reluctantly opened his pail, revealing two largemouth bass. The angler acknowledged he had kept the bass out of season. He was cited for the violation.
CO Ed Rice and Sgt. Chris Maher were conducting a marine patrol when they observed an individual operating a personal watercraft (PWC) while towing another PWC whose operator was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD). A stop was initiated. During the contact, officers discovered the operator had four active warrants out of a neighboring county. The subject was arrested and lodged on the warrants, and a citation was issued for operating a PWC without a PFD.
Sgt. Cary Foster and CO Olivia Moeller were checking for anglers at Webber Dam when they came upon a subject who was having a pretty good day fishing. The subject’s day turned sour when Sgt. Foster pulled the stringer up and discovered two smallmouth bass. Smallmouth season opens May 23rd. A citation was issued for possessing bass out of season. The bass were released back into the Grand River.
District 9 counties of service: Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair.
After a long grueling day of surveillance, CO David Schaumburger notified COs Griffin Korican and Andrew Werth that a group of four individuals had gone out in the morning and caught approximately 15 fish (walleye). The same group came back from an afternoon trip with an additional 14 fish (walleye). The COs conducted a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle after they left the marina. Upon questioning the driver about how many fish the group had caught, he stated they only had 19 fish filleted in the truck. The driver was persistent in stating they only possessed 19 fish. CO Werth pulled a passenger of the vehicle aside and was able to get a confession that the group had several more fish in a cooler at their hotel. The COs then followed the group back to their hotel where 24 additional walleye were located. A total of 42 walleye were seized from the group. They had caught their 4-person limit of fish in the morning and had gone back out in the evening and caught an additional 18 fish. The individuals were cited for the over-limit of walleye, and the fish were seized as evidence.
Acting Sgt. Jaime Salisbury was loading his patrol boat when he was dispatched to a report of a 13 year old girl struck by a boat approximately three miles from his location. Acting Sgt. Salisbury responded and arrived first on scene. The victim had severe lacerations to her head, face, arm, and hand with significant bleeding. Acting Sgt. Salisbury utilized his first aid supplies and training, along with assistance from a first responder and nearby good Samaritans, to control the bleeding. He then conducted follow up interviews with the involved parties. The investigation determined that the girl had been beneath a pontoon boat when it was started and placed in gear. No drugs or alcohol were suspected. The victim was later reported to be on a ventilator with a cracked skull, brain bleed, a broken arm, and extensive injuries to her hand and face.
CO Lisa Taube followed up on a potential illegal fisher harvest. The suspect reported to have taken a fisher in Chippewa County. Wildlife Division flagged the furbearer registration record and sent it to CO Taube to follow up due to the reported date being out of season and the suspect stated he used a firearm to harvest the fisher. The suspect admitted to shooting the fisher, not trapping it, and did so prior to when the season opened as he thought all fur harvesting had been open. A report will be filed and submitted to the prosecutor’s office requesting charges for taking a fisher in a closed season and taking a fisher with a firearm.
During a group patrol of the Detroit River, COs Joseph Deppen and Kris Kiel conducted surveillance and relayed information to CO David Schaumburger regarding two subjects who brought in a limit of walleye, cleaned them, then went back out fishing. When the subjects came back the second time, CO Schaumburger was able to make contact. The two subjects took an additional eight walleye on their second trip. Citations were written for taking an over-limit of walleye.
COs Kris Kiel and Brad Silorey were checking walleye anglers coming into the North Channel Boating Access Site. CO Kiel contacted a subject pulling his boat out of the water. Although the subject had not caught any fish, he showed CO Kiel his cooler full of frozen walleye fillets. The subject stated that he had been staying at a rental house and was just pulling his boat to head back to Indiana. A count of the subject’s frozen walleye fillets produced double his possession limit of 18 walleye. A citation for possessing an over-limit of the walleye possession limit was written.
COs Sydney Griffor and Brad Silorey attended the annual Marysville Police Department Bike Rodeo event. The event was for all fourth-grade students in Marysville and focused on safety. The COs used hunter education guns and spoke about firearm safety, taught about the career as a Conservation Officer, and set out several animal pelts, antlers, and ducks for the students to learn about them.
District 10 counties of service: Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw, Wayne.
COs Kris Kiel and Joe Deppen were conducting surveillance at a local marina and relayed information to COs Dave Schaumburger and Griffin Korican that two anglers were in possession of more than their daily limit of walleyes as they watched them go on two separate trips and bring in too many fish. COs Schaumburger and Korican stopped the vehicle as they left the marina. The driver stated they were in possession of 12 walleyes until the CO had to tell them they were watching all morning. The driver finally admitted to taking eight extra fish on the second trip of the day. The angler was cited for possessing an over-limit of walleyes.
After a marathon 18-hour surveillance session by COs Joe Deppen and Dave Schaumburger, the two COs observed a vessel with four anglers who took one trip out onto the Detroit River in the morning catching 14 walleyes and, in the evening, took another trip and caught 15 walleyes, which would mean the vessel would be over their limit by five fish at this point. CO Schaumburger relayed the information that the anglers were leaving in a truck, while COs Andrew Werth and Griffin Korican waited on standby. COs Werth and Korican conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle for numerous moving violations and asked how the fishing was this evening. The driver claimed that the four anglers only caught 19 fish total all day. CO Werth contacted the passengers in the truck, where one of them stated that they caught a “ton of fish” in the morning, took the fish back to their hotel room, and came out and caught an additional 18 fish in the evening. The COs questioned the driver about the number of fish they caught, and he admitted that they double dipped and that there were fish back at their hotel. The COs followed the anglers back to their hotel where 24 unprocessed walleyes were found from the morning trip with an additional 18 processed walleyes from the evening trip. The driver of the truck, who was also the owner of the vessel, took ownership of all the fish which would put the angler at 36 walleyes over his limit. The angler was cited for possessing an over-limit of walleye and warned on his traffic violations. All 42 walleyes were seized and donated by the COs.
CO Andrew Werth received a call from the Report All Poaching hotline indicating that an angler recently reported that other anglers were keeping smallmouth bass during the closed season at Huroc Park. CO Werth put on his uniform and hurried down to Huroc Park to contact the alleged anglers. Upon contacting the anglers, one female angler stated that she had a nice bass in her bucket that she was keeping. The CO confirmed that the fish was a smallmouth bass and seized the fish. The angler was cited for possessing a smallmouth bass out of season. Additionally, one of the angler’s family members was fishing without a valid 2026 fishing license and received a citation for his infraction.
CO Joel Hill was patrolling Newburgh Lake for fishing activity where he checked several anglers. Two of the anglers contacted were found to be fishing without a license and in possession of largemouth bass during the catch and immediate release season. Both largemouth bass were able to be safely released, and each angler was issued a citation for fishing without a valid license. The CO educated each angler on season dates for bass and gave each angler a warning for the possession of the bass.
CO Nicholas Ingersoll received a complaint about two individuals walking around with a baby raccoon at Sterling State Park. CO Ingersoll was able to locate the two individuals who were walking around the state park with the baby racoon. After speaking with them, it was determined that they took it from the wild a week prior and have been keeping it since. They mentioned they wanted to take it to the park for a walk when questioned why they had it. CO Ingersoll issued a citation for possessing the raccoon and seized the raccoon. The raccoon was turned over to a wildlife rehabber for proper care.
BELLE ISLE
CO Zack Smith was patrolling Belle Isle when he observed a truck doing donuts in a parking lot just prior to the park closing. The truck then did a burnout on Oakway Drive. CO Smith conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and explained to the driver that he had observed the careless driving. The driver stated they had just purchased the truck, it had a Hemi, and he wanted to see what it could do. A citation was issued for careless driving and no recreational passport.
CO Marc Mankowski was patrolling Belle Isle when he spotted two motorcyclists traveling in the bicycle lane, passing vehicles, and exceeding the speed limit on the island. A traffic stop was conducted, and the rider was cited for multiple violations.
CO Zach Adams responded to a radio call for a suicidal and intoxicated woman who was driving around Belle Isle. With the help of the MSP and utilizing the Flock camera system, the woman was identified on the island several minutes later. CO Adams was first to contact the woman and through conversation, determined that she had been assaulted earlier in the day by her cousin. Since the woman posted several suicidal posts on social media and had several lacerations to her face, EMS was asked to come evaluate the subject. She was transported to the local hospital and petitioned for a mental health evaluation by the MSP.
CO Ariel Young was conducting a stationary RADAR patrol at Belle Isle when she observed a vehicle making a U-turn on the road and began travelling the wrong direction before driving down the marked bike lane. CO Young conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. After some interviewing, it was determined that the vehicle did not want to pay for a recreational park passport and was trying to leave the island. CO Young also observed that the driver had a CPL license in their wallet. When asked about any firearms, the driver stated that they were carrying under the CPL but did not immediately disclose this to CO Young. Enforcement action was taken for the traffic offense and failing to immediately disclose the CPL upon contact.
