From the Desk of Sheriff Abbott – 3/19/2026

• I want to give a Big Thank You to Spikes K9 Fund for our Newest K9 Vest for Charlie. Spikes K9 Fund was founded by retired Special Warfare Operator, James Hatch. They have donated 1,596 vests to assist working dogs like ours. It is a ballistic and stab proof vest which was custom fit as well as designed to help keep him cool. If we would have had to purchase it, they cost approximately $3,500.
• Deputies Recovered a Stolen Vehicle out of Allegan County that was Abandoned at a location in Bloomingdale Township. The property owners called it in as it was abandoned on their property and didn’t know who’s it was or why it was there.
• Deputies handled Numerous Crashes on I94hwy which involved nearly 60 vehicles that had crashed in a Very Short Time Frame. Several Semi’s were jackknifed, cars were in the cable barriers, multiple were piled into each other, etc. The highway needed to be closed in different locations to get the vehicles removed safely and avoid more crashes. The largest pile up included 20 vehicles. The three major locations of the crashes were at the 52mm, 55mm, and 56mm. Fortunately, there were no fatalities during the crashes/pile ups. Weather conditions, speed, and road conditions were the factors causing these to take place.
• Deputies handled an Attempted Scam in which the Scammer Identified as a Walmart Investigator. The suspect advised the attempted victim someone tried to fraudulently use their credit card on Walmart on-line. The suspect attempted to get credit card information, fortunately, the individual doesn’t have credit cards and knew this was a scam. The suspect also tried to get checking and investment account numbers and was asking personal information. No funds were stolen and the attempted victim called their bank to lock down all their accounts.
• Uniform Response handled an Arson/Suspicious Fire which was at the Post Office in Breedsville. A suspect was developed during the investigation. The fire was not still going upon the arrival of our office and the fire department. The report was sent to the Prosecutor’s Office for review to obtain charges.
• Detective Chris Orr done a Presentation at the Bloomingdale High School. Detective Orr presented different information to parents and students about internet safety and responsible cellphone use. The information focused on protecting personal information, recognizing online risks, and making smart decisions in today’s world. As always, our office appreciates the opportunity to engage with the community and help keep our youth safe both online and offline.
• Our Office of Domestic Preparedness along with Our SRD’s(School Resource Deputies), SRO’s(School Resource Officers) from Other Agencies, and VBISD Emergency Management Staff attended Tornado Drills at Schools across Van Buren County as part of the Statewide Tornado Drill this past week. Everything went off smoothly. These drills are done in case of an actual emergency, so everyone is prepared on what to do. Thank you to everyone who was involved in this drill.
• Van Buren County Road Commission is Lifting the Weight Restrictions Monday, March 23, 2026, at 6am.