Petty arrested on bench warrant

Susan A Petty, 46, of Traverse City, was arrested in Grand Traverse County Tuesday after a bench warrant for failing to appear at a show cause hearing was issued.  Petty was convicted of passing 3 non-sufficient funds checks within 10 days in Leelanau County.  She was ordered to pay $2,317.48 in restitution.

Petty failed to pay the restitution so a show cause hearing was scheduled so she could tell the court why repayment hadn't been made.  She failed to appear at the hearing and the bench warrant was issued.

Petty remains jailed on a $600 bond with a payment plan set up.

Hot PBT lands man in jail for bond violation

A 43 year-old Lake Leelanau man is in jail after blowing positive on a court ordered daily preliminary breath test Monday.  Jeffrey W. Gleason was on bond after being arrested for Operating with a High BAC > .17%.  He crashed his truck in Suttons Bay Township on December 17 at 2:15 pm.  His blood alcohol content after the crash was .29%.

Gleason agreed to daily breath tests in order to be released from jail on bond.  He failed two tests given on Monday morning and was immediately jailed.  He remains lodged with no bond pending a District Court appearance.

Maple City man arrested for OWI

A 61 year-old man who drove his car into the ditch was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated Monday night.  The man's car needed to be towed after he drove it off the road on Maple City Road near Hlavka Road in Kasson Township at 8:41 pm.

Leelanau County deputies responded to the incident and detected the odor of intoxicants coming from the driver.  He admitted to drinking and failed 4 field sobriety tasks given.  The man was arrested for OWI and had a Datamaster breath test result of .15%.  He remains jailed until bond is set by the magistrate. 

                                   Motorists advised to beware of waterfowl in the road

Because of the lack of open water in the area, there has been an increase in the number of ducks on county roads.  Leelanau Dispatch received 3 such calls over the weekend from citizens concerned that ducks loitering in the road would be killed by vehicles.

It was learned from DNR Conservation Officer Rebecca Hopkins that the waterfowl are having trouble locating open water due to continued cold temperatures.  The only open water in the County is the Lake Leelanau Narrows. Ducks are landing on county roads, mistaking the sheen of the road surface for water.  Once on the road, the ducks have difficulty taking flight because the slippery surface prevents them from getting the running start necessary to fly.

Motorists are asked to slow down and proceed cautiously if ducks are in the road.  If citizens are concerned that the loitering ducks are unable to take flight, they can relocate them to the Narrows.  According to Wildlifehotline.com, the only way to catch adult ducks is to do so at night (they don't see well in the dark) by creeping up on them while they sleep and to gently cover them with a lightweight blanket or towel and scoop them into a carrier. 

Or just try and guide them away from harm's way in the road and trust that nature can take care of itself.  

Suttons Bay woman cited for DWLS

A 23 year-old Suttons Bay Township woman was cited for Driving While License Suspended by Leelanau County Sheriff's deputies Sunday.  She was stopped for a traffic violation on S West Bay Shore Drive near Murrary Court in Bingham Township at 8:29 pm.  A license check showed that her privileges were suspended due to a citation in Kalkaska not being taken care of.

She was cited for first offense DWLS and will resolve the matter in 86th District Court.

Garbage burning neighbor arrested on warrant

Leelanau Dispatch received a call from a resident on S Lake Leelanau Drive just south of E Duck Lake Road Friday afternoon.  The caller reported that he could see flames and smelled smoke next to the neighbor's pole barn.

Officers from the Leelanau County Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police were nearby and checked it out.  They discovered that the neighbor was burning a pile of trash and that is what was seen by the caller.  A file check on the garbage burner showed that there was a bench warrant for his arrest for violating probation on a drunk driving charge in Grand Traverse County.

Jeremy S. Dennison, 39, was taken into custody and turned over to Grand Traverse County authorities on the warrant.  The fire was not a hazard and the fire department was not called.

Northport woman arrested on concealed weapons charge

A 35 year-old Northport woman was in the Leelanau County Courthouse on Thursday for a court hearing when it was learned by a Leelanau County Sheriff's detective that there were warrants for the woman's arrest.  The detective checked with dispatch who verified that the woman was wanted by Grand Traverse Band Tribal Police for failing to appear on a registration plate violation.

There was also a warrant for the woman's arrest for Possession of a Concealed Weapon.  She is accused of possessing a .45 cal. handgun in her vehicle when she was stopped for a traffic violation in Suttons Bay Township in October 2013. 

She was taken into custody on both warrants and remains jailed pending a bond being set on the felony weapons charge.  The concealed weapons charge is punishable by a maximum 5 years in prison and the registration violation is a 93 day misdemeanor.

Mother arrested for OWI while driving child to school

A 32 year-old Elmwood Township woman was driving her 4 year-old child to school at 9:00 Wednesday morning when she was stopped by a Leelanau County Sheriff's deputy for defective equipment.  The stop occurred on S West Bay Shore Drive near Peck Road in Suttons Bay Township.

Upon contact with the woman, the deputy noticed signs of intoxication and the odor of alcohol.  The driver said she was taking her child to school and denied drinking before driving.  She did admit that she was drinking until about 2:00am.

The driver failed field sobriety tasks given and was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated.  She was taken to the Leelanau County jail where the Datamaster breath test was given.  The result was .08%.  She posted $100 interim bond and was released pending a District Court appearance.

The woman was allowed to call a family friend who came to the scene of the traffic stop and took the child to school.  A charge of Child Endangerment will also be sought in addition to OWI.  Child endangerment is a separate charge involving driving intoxicated with a passenger under 16 years of age.

Interlochen man arrested after traffic stop

Leelanau County Sheriff's deputies made a traffic stop on E Duck Lake Road near Scott Hill in Suttons Bay Township Tuesday morning.  22 year-old occupant Jeremy A. Bower was wanted on a Friend of the Court bench warrant for unpaid child support. 

Bower was arrested on the warrant and transported to the Leelanau County jail where he was unable to post $400 bond.  He was later picked up by Grand Traverse County deputies because the warrant originated out of their county.

Northport man arrested for OWI again

A 60 year-old Leelanau Township man was arrested Tuesday morning for Operating While Intoxicated.  He was on probation for OWI Second Offense and Driving Suspended from a 2013 arrest and conviction.

The Leelanau County deputy assigned to Leelanau Township received a call from a citizen at 11:30 am that the suspect was driving south on N West Bay Shore Drive from Omena.  Grand Traverse Band Tribal police were asked to assist in trying to locate the vehicle until the Leelanau Township deputy could get to the area.

Tribal police located the vehicle near Stallman Road and made a stop for safety reasons after observing the vehicle being driven erratically.  The deputy arrived at the scene and made contact with the suspect.  His driving privileges were suspended and he appeared under the influence.  He failed all field sobriety tasks given and was asked to submit to a blood test.

The driver was arrested for OWI Third Offense and DWLS Third Offense.  He was also arrested on a bench warrant for a probation violation involving the OWI Second Offense conviction for consuming alcohol and failing to take daily court-ordered preliminary breath tests.

He remains lodged in the Leelanau County jail without bond on the probation violation bench warrant.  Bond has not been set on the OWI III arrest.

Peshawbestown man arrested for failing to appear on DV III charge

A 23 year-old Peshawbestown man was arrested in Grand Traverse County Monday on a Grand Traverse Band Tribal bench warrant.  The man failed to appear at arraignment on a Third Offense Domestic Violence charge which occurred in 2013.

GTB Tribal Police took custody of the man from Grand Traverse County deputies and transported him to the Leelanau County jail.  The suspect remains jailed without bond pending a Tribal Court hearing.

TC woman arrested for probation violation

An 18 year-old Traverse City woman called Leelanau Dispatch at 11:11 pm Sunday night to report that her boyfriend had been hitting her.  When deputies arrived at the Bingham Township residence they could not establish that an assault occurred and the needed probable cause to make an arrest.  They did discover that the woman was wanted in Grand Traverse County for violating probation on a Minor in Possession of Alcohol 3rd Offense conviction.

The woman was arrested and transported to GT County by Leelanau County Sheriff's deputies and the assault report will be turned over to the Prosecutor's Office for review.

Concerned citizen calls in dead dog in the back of a pickup

A concerned citizen called the Leelanau County Sheriff's Office Saturday morning to report what was believed to be a dead German Shepard or wolf in the back of a parked pickup truck in Empire.  No one was around the vehicle.

Leelanau deputies responded and determined that the animal was actually a coyote.  It is unknown how the animal died but it was not illegal to possess.

Neddo arrested for failing to appear

19 year-old Michael A. Neddo, Maple City, was arrested in Grand Traverse County after he failed to appear on a Driving While License Suspended charge in Leelanau County.  A bench warrant was issued after Neddo didn't show on January 17.

Neddo was transported to the Leelanau County jail where he remains pending posting of $500 bond.

Tribal police arrest man for animal cruelty

Grand Traverse Band Tribal Police arrested an 18 year-old Peshawbestown man Friday but it wasn't easy.  The man fled from Tribal police but with the assistance of Leelanau County Sheriff's deputies, the man was taken into custody on 4 Tribal warrants.  The warrants were for various animal licensing and animal at large charges, as well as 4 counts of animal torture for leaving a dog unattended without shelter in frigid conditions.

The man remains in the Leelanau County jail pending a Tribal Court arraignment later today.

MC man sentenced after failing Sobriety Court

52 year-old Kevin S. Nemitz, Maple City, was sentenced to 120 days in jail after being discharged unsuccessfully from Sobriety Court.  Nemitz pleaded guilty to Operating While Intoxicated 2nd Offense and Fleeing and Eluding 4th degree and the case was accepted in Sobriety Court.  Multiple violations of probation led to the unsuccessful discharge.