BANGOR TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Jan. 27, 2023) – Thanks to a Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department canine unit and a drone, a 36-year-old Covert man wanted for being a parole absconder was apprehended late on Thursday night.
According to Van Buren County Sheriff’s Sergeant Larry Weers, a vehicle driven by Brian Smith was spotted near his hometown around 11 PM and a pursuit ensued. The vehicle drove into a field off of County Road 376 and 70th Street near Bangor, where it got stuck and couldn’t move any further. The suspect then fled on foot, and for about two hours, he had eluded sheriff’s deputies and Covert Township police officers.
The canine unit, which included Bruno, along with a drone from Great Lakes Drone, then tracked Smith through nearly four miles of fields, woods and small creeks before finding him in a thick brush area with limited visibility due in part to snowfall. After the suspect refused to immediately surrender, Bruno was sent in, with an arrest subsequently forthcoming.
Smith was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries, and then transported to the Van Buren County Jail for pending arraignment on various charges.
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