Alleged thief steals jeep, drives though garage door

OTSEGO COUNTY – On Thursday, August 4, 2022, at approximately 5:35 p.m. troopers from the Michigan State Police (MSP) Gaylord Post responded to a wrong way driver on I-75 in Near Old State Road. Troopers located the now abandoned vehicle, a 2007 Toyota, on the shoulder of the south bound lane of travel facing north. The driver had fled on foot. Dispatch advised there were reports of a man running across south I-75 Hwy on foot headed west off the freeway. Troopers searched the area and were unable to locate the man. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

After clearing the scene, dispatch advised a vehicle was reported stolen from a nearby residence. It was believed the suspect could be the same man that was driving on the wrong side of the freeway. The homeowner told troopers he was inside his home when he heard a loud noise. He then discovered someone had stolen his 2014 Jeep Cherokee from his garage. The suspect drove the vehicle through the garage door.

The stolen vehicle was located on S Old 27 Hwy south of Marlette Rd abandoned and still running. A resident near S Old 27 Hwy called dispatch and said they saw a man running in their back yard into the woods. An officer from the Gaylord City Police Department radioed he was currently in a foot pursuit with the man. Troopers caught up with the officer and located the man running near a lake. The suspect brandished a knife and was ordered to put it down. He complied and was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect, a 39-year-old Alanson man, was lodged in the Otsego County Jail pending arraignment.