SHERIFF NEWS RELEASE – #25012645

Incident #: 25012645

Date and Time: November 13, 2025 at approximately 2100 hours

Nature of Incident: Breaking and Entering, Felonious Assault, Malicious Destruction of Property, Possession of Burglary Tools

Suspect Information: 37 Year old male from Paw Paw

Location: 25000 block of County Road 665, Waverly Township, Van Buren County 

Narrative: 

Sheriff Daniel E. Abbott reports that on the above date and time, deputies were called to the 25000 block of County Road 665 for an attempted theft in progress. The property owner had observed two suspects attempting to steal various scrap metal from the property through surveillance cameras on scene. The property owner and another subject responded to the scene and confronted the suspects. During the exchange, the suspects got into their vehicle and at one point, their vehicle struck the callers’ vehicle. The suspect vehicle became disabled and the parties exited the vehicles, leading to a verbal argument. During the argument, the victim fired a round into the ground from a pistol he was carrying.

Upon deputies’ arrival, one male suspect was detained. The second male had fled on foot prior to deputies’ arrival. He was described as a taller white male wearing a green coat, black hoodie and dark pants. He had a face mask on but his mouth appeared bloody.

Following the investigation, it was determined that the suspects had broken into storage containers on the property and removed numerous scrap metal items which were recovered in the suspects vehicle. Burglary tools were also located in the van. The suspect was also determined to have multiple outstanding warrants for his arrest. He was subsequently lodged at the Van Buren County Jail on charges of breaking and entering, malicious destruction of property, felonious assault, and possession of burglary tools. The second suspect is still at large.