Air quality across the state is being affected by wildfire smoke. Before heading outdoors, get information on current conditions and alerts at Michigan.gov/MiAir, and learn about the state’s response to inform and protect the public at Michigan.gov/EGLEWildfireSmoke.
District 1 counties of service: Baraga, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon.
CO Steve Sajtar assisted the Menominee Police Department in searching for a runaway juvenile with autism. Shortly after midnight, an officer discovered a park restroom door locked from the inside. After confirming the juvenile was hidden inside, officers and parents attempted to coax him out. The juvenile refused to cooperate or open the door. Following these failed verbal attempts, officers forced entry into the restroom and safely reunited the youth with his parents.
District 2 counties of service: Alger, Chippewa, Delta, Mackinac, Luce, Schoolcraft.
CO Scott Pankow recently assisted the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office by locating and investigating a side-by-side rollover accident on Drummond Island. Following the crash, the vehicle occupants were completely disoriented and unable to provide dispatchers with their exact location. CO Pankow successfully tracked down the individuals in the field and aided deputies with the subsequent on-scene investigation.
District 3 counties of service: Alpena, Antrim, Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Emmet, Montmorency, Otsego, Presque Isle.
CO Tom Oberg was the first to arrive at a two-vehicle, personal injury accident in Gaylord, where one vehicle had been struck, leaving an occupant trapped inside. Upon assessing the scene, CO Oberg discovered that both the driver and passenger of the impacted vehicle had suffered head injuries, with one victim actively losing and regaining consciousness. CO Oberg immediately rendered first aid and continued to assist alongside arriving emergency units until both occupants were safely extricated and transported to the local hospital for medical treatment.
District 4 counties of service: Benzie, Grand Traverse, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Newaygo, Oceana, Wexford.
CO Cameron Wright, alongside a Newaygo County sheriff's deputy, successfully apprehended a driver experiencing a severe mental health crisis following a reckless driving incident and a short foot pursuit during a torrential downpour. CO Wright was already hunting for the suspect's erratically driven pickup truck when a nearby homeowner reported that the vehicle had just crashed into their residential fence. After arriving on the scene within minutes, the officers discovered the driver attempting to flee behind neighboring homes before tracking him back to his truck as he tried to drive away. The suspect was safely removed from the vehicle, detained, and arrested on multiple criminal charges, while law enforcement actively coordinated with mental health professionals to secure the medical help he required.
During a demanding search and rescue operation on the White River near Diamond Point, Michigan State Police (MSP) collaborated with local COs and the Law Enforcement Division's Search and Rescue Team to find a missing kayaker. COs Logan Turner, Cameron Wright, Sergeant Ben Shively, and several officers from District 7 deployed specialized assets, including ATVs and watercraft, to navigate the rugged terrain. The search area spanned a vast, remote wilderness containing several thousand acres of federal land within Oceana County. The kayaker had been missing since the previous night without any communication, prompting an intensive search that lasted for more than 12 hours. Ultimately, the operation ended successfully when the kayaker was located safe after walking upriver overnight, allowing him to be reunited with his family.
District 5 counties of service: Alcona, Arenac, Clare, Crawford, Gladwin, Iosco, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Osceola, Oscoda, Roscommon.
No Report Made
District 6 counties of service: Bay, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Midland, Montcalm, Saginaw, Sanilac, Tuscola.
COs Michael Lator, Adam Schiller, and Zack Cardinal worked a special detail in Montcalm County to target unsupervised ORV operation by juveniles in a township that had received many complaints about the issue. The COs observed numerous ORV violations during the patrol. Three citations were issued to parents for allowing a juvenile to operate an ORV unsupervised and without an ORV safety certificate. Several other citations were written throughout the day for other ORV operation and equipment violations.
COs Cody Simmons and Ethan Gainforth attended a Cops and Bobbers event held at the Sebewaing Marina in Huron County. The COs along with the Wildlife Division hosted a table at the event and passed out several DNR LED merchandise to over 300 kids. They assisted with teaching them how to fish by setting up their fishing poles, tying fishing knots, and showing them were to find fishing laws and regulations.
CO Dan Robinson signed petitions for juvenile violations after a month’s long investigation. The investigation stemmed from a call of a juvenile breaking into vehicles and illicit drug use. After several cell phone search warrants, interviews, and collaboration with other agencies, charges were filed for possession of illegal drugs, felony arson on a residence, retail fraud, and possession with intent to deliver. Using cell phone evidence, interviews, and fire reports, CO Robinson was able to connect a local housefire to one of the juveniles. The other juvenile was found to be obtaining and selling THC products, alcohol, and other drugs to other minors in the area. The juveniles will be turned over to juvenile court for proceedings.
CO Dan Robinson swore to arrest warrants for two subjects who dumped a large fiberglass boat and trash contained within the hull. The CO was called to an area in northern Isabella County where a boat was dumped in the road. The boat was not recently registered, nor did it have a trailer under it. CO Robinson photographed and searched the boat for evidence and located several possible names associated with the items. The investigation led to two individuals who moved the boat from a residence in Clare County and dumped it on another person’s property without their knowledge or permission. CO Robinson used interviews, footage from the local salvage lots, and photos to place the suspects in possession of the boat and trailer. Additionally, some of the materials found in the boat matched those sought in an open wire theft case in Clare and helped connect a known suspect to the thefts.
COs Dan Robinson and Zach Cardinal attended “Zoo in the Park” in Mt. Pleasant. The COs were able to talk with kids and adults about the various parts of the job, answer questions, and show them a collection of Michigan furs. As always, the kids enjoy being able to handle and touch the furs, other items, and learn more about them.
CO Dan Robinson assisted with a medical near lake Isabella for a female who had fallen down a flight of stairs leading to the lake. The CO, an MSP trooper, and local first responders helped get the injured woman stable, back boarded, and then loaded her onto a nearby boat to transport her to a less steep area of the bank where an ambulance was waiting. The team was then able to get the woman to the awaiting ambulance safely from the boat where she was transported to the local hospital.
CO Dan Robinson was on patrol in northern Isabella County when a call came out from local 911 dispatch for a single motor vehicle crash. The CO responded from a short distance away. While enroute, he received information that the vehicle was on fire, fully involved, and the driver was reporting injuries. CO Robinson arrived with a local first responder and checked the driver for immediate injuries and secured the scene. The vehicle was fully engulfed in fire, and it appeared the driver left the roadway and hit several trees before the vehicle stopped and caught fire. The driver had minor cuts and scrapes and refused additional treatment from EMS. All was turned over to the MSP.
CO Chris Kravitsky followed up with a charter boat captain who had a delinquent catch report. The captain advised that he got busy and forgot to get it in on time but that he had now had them up to date. This captain had priors for failing to get his catch reports in on time in the past. A citation was issued for the violation.
District 7 counties of service: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, St Joseph, Van Buren.
CO Sam Schluckbier was patrolling Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Allegan County when he observed two dogs running loose without leashes and not under the control of their owners. CO Schluckbier located the owners, who refused to leash the dogs and disregarded his instructions. While CO Schluckbier was issuing a citation to one of the owners, the individual grabbed the identification from the CO and attempted to flee. The subject was arrested for resisting and obstructing, in addition to the original violation for having an unleashed dog. During the arrest, the subject claimed he was experiencing an asthma attack but did not have his medication. CO Schluckbier transported the subject to the parking lot for evaluation by emergency medical services. No medical concerns were found, and the subject was subsequently lodged in the Allegan County Jail.
COs Sam Schluckbier and Travis Dragomer, along with the rest of the response team, were activated for a Search and Rescue event on the White River near the Oceana and Muskegon County lines. The subject had become lost while kayaking downstream but eventually made his way upstream to safety after a lengthy overnight hike.
District 8 counties of service: Branch, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Shiawassee.
CO Jason McCullough watched two people fishing from a boat for about 20 minutes after pulling into an access site. As the boat docked, CO McCullough contacted the anglers and asked how the fishing was going. The first angler said they weren’t fishing. The second angler said the fishing was pretty good as they caught some perch, bass, and bluegills and held up a stringer. CO McCullough observed a 10-inch largemouth bass and asked who caught the fish. The first angler said, “I did.” CO McCullough, shocked that the first angler had lied previously about fishing, asked if anyone had fishing licenses. The resulting investigation revealed both anglers neglected to buy fishing licenses, were using PFDS from the 1990’s that didn’t work because mice had chewed holes in them, had no navigation lights, and the driver of the vehicle that hauled the boat to the launch had suspended driver’s license. Citations were issued.
Upon arrival at a Grand River boat launch in Ingham County, CO James Rowley was flagged down by a gentleman stating his friend was suffering a medical condition. The two friends were fishing on the river when one said he wasn’t feeling well at all. The temperature was in the low 80s, and intense sun was deceptively muted by the breeze. CO Rowley found the individual out of the sunlight in their truck backseat. The individual was experiencing blurred vision, headaches, and exhaustion. The individual stated they had no water today and CO Rowley could see they required oxygen through a portable tank supply. CO Rowley retrieved two water bottles from his cooler and had the individual slowly sip the water. CO Rowley contacted Ingham County Dispatch and requested an ambulance for transport and evaluation. He continued to monitor the breathing and consciousness of the individual until medical staff arrived. A Lansing Fire Department Ambulance team arrived and transported the individual to Sparrow Hospital for further treatment.
CO James Rowley had just placed his boat into the Grand River when Ingham County 911 reported a stranded boater on a rapidly sinking boat. The boater was located directly east of CO Rowley’s location. CO Rowley located the boater, wearing a personal floatation device, and the sinking 18-foot boat under a bridge. The Lansing Fire Department and Lansing Police Department (LPD) personnel arrived on shore. CO Rowley and the boat owner were able to slowly move the vessel near shore. They were able to tie the boat off on a shallower bottom that mitigated the continued water intake. The LPD contacted the regional dive team for retrieval of the boat from the river. The dive team was able to place inflation devices to lift the boat, making it buoyant, and towed it back to the boat launch.
CO Marc Mankowski arrived on scene of a personal injury accident near the Lansing Customer Service Center. A head-on collision caused two individuals to be taken to the hospital. While on scene, a witness stated one of the drivers was seen with a pistol. The driver was spotted by CO Mankowski giving a bag to his wife and the wife allowed CO Mankowski to search the bag. He uncovered an unregistered pistol, and the driver did not have a CPL. The pistol was seized and charges will be sought through the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office.
CO Wes Butler was out checking anglers on Round Lake when he encountered two individuals on a boat who had several fish on a stringer. CO Butler asked for their fishing licenses, but they could not provide one. When CO Butler asked to see their fish, the man pulled up his stringer, and he could immediately see a largemouth bass that appeared to be undersized. CO Butler measured the fish which was 11 inches in length. CO Butler seized the undersized bass and the six bluegills he had on the stringer and issued the angler citations for possessing an undersized largemouth bass and fishing without a license.
District 9 counties of service: Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair.
CO Justin Muehlhauser assisted District 8 with a call of an aggressive bear in the City of Owosso. No District 8 COs were available, so CO Muehlhauser responded to the area and attempted to locate the bear. Photographs were provided and after interviewing witnesses, the presence of the bear was confirmed but no threat to the safety of the public was suspected at this time.
COs Kris Kiel and Cody Bourgeois participated in a kids’ fishing day at the Marysville launch sponsored by the Lions Club. Over 70 kids plus parents were in attendance. Quite a few fish were caught, and everyone had a great time. The COs assisted with education, line tangles, baiting hooks, and tying on new hooks.
CO Joseph Deppen was working along Lake St. Clair in Macomb County when he observed two anglers catching and keeping largemouth and smallmouth bass out of season. As the anglers were reeling in their fish, they were quick to take them off the hook and run them over to two different plastic bags away from their fishing spots. As they were packing up to leave, CO Deppen drove around and contacted the angler who admitted to catching just a couple perch and putting them back. Upon further inspection, two plastic bags were discovered in their cooler containing a total of five largemouth and smallmouth bass. Four out of the five were also well under the 14-inch minimum size limit. One angler also failed to purchase a 2026 fishing license. Each angler was cited for take or possess bass during the closed season and take possess bass under 14 inches. Verbal warnings were given for fishing without a license.
CO Cody Bourgeois along with several of his partners worked a group patrol in Port Huron checking shore anglers. The St. Clair County COs have received countless complaints of individuals keeping over-limits and short walleyes along the boardwalks. Several COs conducted surveillance while COs Bourgeois, Kris Kiel and Sydney Griffor patrolled the area in uniform. CO Bourgeois issued two citations throughout the night for over-limits of walleye.
District 10 counties of service: Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw, Wayne.
CO Martin Lawrence participated in the Fifth Annual Cass Park Church Fishing in Faith event which was held at Alfred Brush Ford Park in Detroit. The youth fishing event had over 35 kids from the surrounding area learn how to fish and other outdoor activities.
CO Andrew Werth worked a middle of the night patrol at the Pointe Mouillee SGA to see if anyone was in the game area during the closed 11 PM to 4 AM game area closure. A total of seven individuals were found in the game area during the closed period. The CO received a wide array of reasons for being in the game area and came across other illicit reasons for being in the game area during the closed period. Two individuals had numerous warrants, another individual had a suspended driver’s license while driving around the game area, and others were fishing but knew the game area was closed. All seven individuals received citations for being in the game area during the closed period.
CO Andrew Werth was traveling on Rawsonville Road when he observed a SUV pulling a trailer with a vessel leaving the Belleville West Launch. The CO observed that the trailer had aquatic organisms still attached to it and the vessel operator failed to remove them when leaving the launch. The trailer also had a left brake light out as well. A traffic stop was conducted and the CO also found that the SUV had no insurance. The operator felt like he did not need to clean off the weeds and other aquatic organisms off his trailer when he left the launch. The operator was cited for transporting a trailer without removing aquatic organisms, no proof of insurance, and warned for the defective trailer equipment.
COs Joel Hill and Andrew Werth were on patrol in Wayne County when they observed a truck hauling a boat with several AIS violations. The trailer also did not have a trailer plate or an operational passenger side brake light. A traffic stop was initiated on the vehicle. Upon contacting the driver and passenger, an open bottle of intoxicants was observed in the vehicle. A large bottle of whiskey was then removed from the vehicle by CO Hill. CO Hill then asked the driver to step out of the vehicle and ran the driver through SFSTs. After conducting SFSTs and a PBT, the driver of the vehicle was placed under arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
BELLE ISLE
While assigned to Belle Isle, COs James Rowley and Bradley Silorey were patrolling on the beach. A couple flagged the COs down with a young child and reported they found the two-year-old boy walking with no one near him. The couple said they looked nearby for anyone looking for the boy, but no one was present. The boy could not speak yet, but when CO Rowley asked where his family was at, the boy pointed toward the central beach building. CO Rowley walked the boy towards the building and Sgt. William Webster met them. CO Rowley relayed the situation to Sgt. Webster. Sgt. Webster picked the boy up and walked to the building. The boy was reunited with his family who was parked on the other side of the building. While the parent took both children to the restroom, the boy had walked away when the parent was tending to the other. The boy was turned over to the parents.
While working a Belle Isle shift, CO Jeremy Woods observed a vehicle driving at a high rate of speed and committing multiple other moving violations on the island. A traffic stop was conducted and upon contact, the driver said he did not have his identification on him. When CO Woods returned to his truck to run info in SOS/LEIN, the driver fled the stop, after he committed the ingenious move of giving CO Woods his name and date of birth during the initial contact. The driver was driving very recklessly so a pursuit was very short lived before being terminated by CO Woods. The driver was driving suspended, had multiple traffic warrants, and CO Woods discovered, through contact with Detroit Police Department, that the driver was the suspect in a domestic violence incident and that the car was stolen. A report will be submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
CO Griffin Korican worked a B2 shift and was dispatched to a medical call where the patient had gone into cardiac arrest. COs Korican and Ariel Young responded and found the man conscious and breathing. The man had two cardiac surgeons near him when he collapsed. The individual was transported by EMS to Detroit Receiving Hospital for further evaluations.
COs Ariel Young and Zackary Cardinal were assigned to Belle Isle for a midweek shift. The COs received information about an individual who had been missing for three days and was believed to still be at the park. While talking to the detective that was working on the case, CO Young was contacted referencing another missing person linked to a vehicle that had been cited for being in the park, after hours the previous night. CO Young located the vehicle and conducted a foot patrol with CO Cardinal. The COs were able to provide closure for the family of the missing person. The case was turned over to the MSP for further investigation.
GREAT LAKES ENFORCEMENT UNIT (GLEU)
Cpl. Pat Hartsig worked with D9 officers on a night walleye patrol targeting complaints of over limits of fish from shore, conducting surveillance on several anglers. One group had reached their limit of walleye and continued to fish, but after a thunderstorm came through, they packed up and left. A group who had remained fishing during the storm began catching one fish after another. One fisherman was noted catching fish and putting them on his friend’s stringer and leaving some on the ground far from him. The fisherman caught and kept more than his legal limit and left the area in his vehicle. A traffic stop was conducted on the fisherman, and enforcement action was taken for taking over the legal limit of walleye.
ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION SECTION (EIS)
In March of 2024 Det. Kennedy with DNR’s Environmental Investigations Section received a Criminal Complaint Investigation Request from EGLE Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division. EGLE staff discovered through a records review that Douglas Environmental, and Brian Powell specifically, failed to report drinking water samples that exceeded the maximum contaminant results to EGLE.
Brian Powell is the President of Douglas Environmental Services, Inc and was registered as the designated operator for the twelve sites where the violations occurred. As the designated operator for these sites Brian Powell has the sole responsibility of reporting the maximum contaminant levels to EGLE. Between June of 2019 and December of 2023 Brian Powell and Douglas Environmental failed to report 41 maximum contaminant level exceedances to EGLE including arsenic, lead and copper, and E. coli. Furthermore, Brian Powell and Douglas Environmental sent lab results to EGLE that intentionally omitted maximum contaminant level exceedances in Arsenic. The failure to report and omit maximum contaminant levels in drinking water poses a direct risk to the health of citizens of the State of Michigan and is a direct violation of EGLE’s drinking water rules
Additionally, in October of 2024 – Det. Joe Myers, also with EIS, received a complaint from EGLE Water Resources Division regarding the possible intentional falsifying of records. EGLE regulates and administers the groundwater program for the State of Michigan. As part of the program, Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR) are submitted to EGLE to monitor ground water in the State of Michigan. As part of the permit, a DMR must be completed by collecting a sample from the effluent water discharge and sent to a certified laboratory for analysis. These samples are taken by the certified operator. Certified operators then take the laboratory analysis, certify them and report them back to the state. The numbers being reported to the State of Michigan by POWELL were not the numbers in the laboratory analysis reports recovered by EGLE-WRD during their inspection warrants. Laboratory analysis from facilities was not only incorrect but also changed to falsely comply with state standards. Through these examples, POWELL created a pattern of behavior eroding public trust and contaminating a public resource by knowingly submitting false, altered of forged numbers to EGLE via public record.
In March of 2026 the Attorney General’s Office charged Brian Powell with 6 counts of Forgery and 7 counts of violating the Safe Drinking Water Act. The business, Douglas Environmental, was also charged with 6 counts of Forgery and Conducting a Criminal Enterprise.
In June of 2026 Brian Powell pled guilty to 3 counts of Forgery and admitted to defrauding the state and falsifying the tests. The corporation, Douglas Environmental, pled No Contest. Defendant agreed to a $50,000 fine and did not work in the industry
On 7/9/26 Brian Powell was sentenced and ordered to 2 years’ probation. He was ordered to pay $130 crime victim fee, $68 court cost for each count, court costs of $500, and a DNA fee of $68 and ordered not to work in the water testing industry among standard terms and conditions of probation. No fine in light of the fine in the corporation’s case.
Douglas Environmental was sentenced to $50,000 fine, $68 court costs for each count, court costs of $500, and a crime victim fee of $130.
