From the Desk of Sheriff Abbott – 10 /17/2025

• Detectives from our Westside Detachment (It’s a newly formed unit in conjunction with our Detective Unit, Covert Twp Detective, and a South Haven PD Detective) worked with Detectives from the Defiance Police Department out of Ohio. The investigation revealed a 38-year-old Bangor Township man was using social media to engage in inappropriate communications and share explicit material with an individual he believed to be a 12-year-old boy. The suspect was a previous convicted sex offender and was in violation of not registering properly with his current address. A search warrant was obtained and executed at the residence in question. Several electronic and communication devices were seized, and the suspect was taken into custody on the outstanding felony warrant for his SOR Violation in our county. He is currently lodged and will be extradited to Ohio once his charges are done here.
• Uniform Response handled Several Larcenies from Motor Vehicles in the Gravel Lake Area in Porter Township. A jeep was recovered in the area that was stolen out of Kalamazoo. An Audi station wagon with the keys left in it was stolen from the area and ended up in Kalamazoo after they committed the crimes.
• Uniform Response handled a Larceny of a Dewalt Drill in the Northern Area of the Paw Paw Village Limits. Deputies located the suspect and lodged him for the incident. It appears that the individual is a homeless guy living in the area.
• Uniform Response handled a Domestic Violence Call in the Village of Lawrence. The investigation found that a grandson punched his grandmother who graciously allows him to live at her residence. He was lodged for the incident.
• Uniform Response handled a Domestic Violence Call in Almena Township. It was found that the pregnant victim had an argument with her boyfriend, and he shoved her into the wall, punched her, then left the residence. Deputies were able to get her the medical attention required and are still actively searching for the suspect.
• Kayce Gleesing has been hired to work in our Dispatch Center. Kayce comes from a pro law enforcement family, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her here as a part of our family/team.
• Uniform Response handled a Suspicious Situation at the Marathon Gas Station at the south limits of Paw Paw Village. The call came in about a male subject in a vehicle parked at a gas pump with the accelerator stuck. Deputies made contact with the subject, and it was immediately obvious that he had consumed alcohol. The driver was arrested for operating under the influence of alcohol with his result being roughly over 3 times the legal limit. This also occurred during the day during normal business hours.
• Uniform Response handled a Larceny Incident in Hartford Township. Several tools and a welder were stolen. The items were able to be tracked due to a GPS type unit on one of the items stolen. A search warrant was conducted at a residence in Hartford and stolen items were recovered. The suspect was not there when the search warrant was executed but was later located. He was lodged and now faces several charges for the incident.