By Scott Bolthouse — Hub Editor — ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

It was a dangerous afternoon on roadways around Huron Township on Monday.

Two separate crashes occurred within hours of each other, the first crash killing the driver and the second crash critically injuring another man. 

A 73-year-old Flat Rock man was pronounced dead after he rolled over his car near Will Carleton Road, west of South Huron at about 2:20 p.m., police say.

When Huron Township police and fire personnel arrived on scene, they found the car in a ditch on the north side of Will Carleton, which was shut down for several hours while the accident scene was investigated.

Police have not yet released a cause for the crash.

At about 5:14 p.m., a second crash occured in Huron Township, this time near the area of West Road and North Peak Drive.

Upon arrival, first responders located a single-vehicle with one occupant who had struck a tree.

A 41-year-old Woodhaven man was transported to Beaumont Hospital-Trenton in critical condition.

Police say speed was a factor in the crash.

Both accidents remain under investigation, and the Michigan State Police Downriver Crash Team responded to both crashes.

“We cannot thank the Downriver Crash Team enough for their continued support in our community,” Said Huron Public Safety Director Everette Robbins.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with both of these men and their families.”

Officers Keith Nappo (left) and Troy Rickelmann.

By Scott Bolthouse — Hub Editor — ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

Two Huron Township police officers were commend recently following an encounter with a resident traveling on I-275 in the township.

Officers Keith Nappo and Troy Rickelmann were commended by Police Chief Everette Robbins for a job well done after the resident contacted the police department in an email to express his appreciation for how the officers handled a dangerous situation on the freeway.

“I received an email from a community member regarding your actions involving a traffic incident on I-275 in which a boat had come apart from a trailer causing quite a bad situation for the community member,” Robbins said in the letter of commendation.

With the resident during the incident was his 4-year-old daughter who the officers were able to put at ease during the situation.

The email from the resident to Robbins, dated Sept. 5, said:

“They were kind and helpful, but more important they were kind to my daughter. They actually made her an honorary officer and gave her a sicker. She didn’t know what was going on, and it could have been a horrible experience for her but their kindness and thoughtfulness was beyond the call of duty. In fact, when we got home all she could talk about were the officers, and she wanted to show everyone her sticker.” 

Robbins said that in a time when negative stories are often reported about law enforcement, it’s refreshing to hear the good encounters that happen daily between officers in Huron Township and the public.

“We often hear the negative comments about law enforcement,” he said in the letter. “Seldom do we hear of the many things officers such as you do to protect our safety on a daily basis. In this instance, you went above and beyond to make sure that a father and his young daughter had a positive experience out of something that could have potentially been traumatic for them.”

By Scott Bolthouse — Hub Editor — ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

A 26-year-old Huron Township woman died from injuries sustained during a collision that occurred on Inkster Road between Grix and West Road Tuesday morning.

The crash occurred at 11:30 a.m.

Huron Township Public Safety Director Everette Robbins says an infant that was also in the car was transported to Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, and that the status of the injured child is unknown, but that injuries appear to be non-life threatening.

A 73-year-old Brownstown man driving the second car was transported to St. Joesph Mecry Hospital and is in critical condition.

“The preliminary investigation indicates that the male driver may have been suffering from some type of medical event prior to the crash. Our thoughts and prayers go out to both families,” Robbins said.

Emergency personnel from both Huron Township and Brownstown Township responded to the collision and were on scene within six minutes of the 911 call.

The Michigan State Police Crash Reconstruction Team responded and assisted the Huron Township Traffic Services Unit with the investigation.

Robbins said alcohol or drugs do not appear to be a factor in the crash and that the investigation is ongoing.

This article has been updated

Alonzo Trent, 18, from Romulus, is charged with receiving and concealing stolen property after it is alleged that he entered several unlocked cars in the Trail Creek subdivision early Thursday morning. (Photo: Huron Township Police)

By Scott Bolthouse — Hub Editor — ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

An 18-year-old Romulus resident was arrested Thursday in connection to multiple thefts that occurred from unlocked vehicles parked in the Trail Creek subdivision.

It is alleged that Alonzo Trent entered several vehicles near the 25000 block of West Creek Drive during the early morning hours before fleeing from police into a wooded area.

After responding police set up a perimeter in the area, he was found and taken into custody.

Related: Romulus teen arrested on suspicion of breaking into cars in Trail Creek subdivision

Trent is charged with receiving and concealing stolen property and is currently being held in the Wayne County Jail.

Police say the incident remains under investigation.

“This is a case of teamwork at its finest. It started heads up resident who observed something suspicious, a quick response by our staff, and help from neighboring agencies. As always, we encourage our residents to call us if they see anything that is just not right. That’s what were here for,” Public Safety Director Everette Robbins said.

“We want to remind residents to please lock their vehicles, especially at night. In most cases, thieves will bypass locked vehicles and move on to one that is not locked. Many times, they don’t want to make noise and draw attention to themselves. Also, we encourage our residents not to leave valuables in their vehicles, turn on exterior lighting, and park in the garage if possible.”

Four reports of vehicle larcenies in Trail Creek were made by residents, and all of the vehicles were unlocked at the time.

Support independent and local journalism — If you enjoy the free, online coverage of the Huron Township community, please consider donating here.

By Scott Bolthouse — Hub Editor — ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

Nine people were arrested Aug. 29 during a proactive warrant sweep conducted by the Huron Township Police Department.

“Our goal has always been to be a proactive police department. We will continue to do regular sweeps throughout the Township. We encourage people within the Township to turn themselves in on their outstanding arrest warrants to avoid our officers having to track them down,” said Public Safety Director Everette Robbins.

The arrests cleared-up 28 outstanding warrants, 19 of which were felony warrants.

The warrant sweep was conducted by officers working in the problem-oriented policing and traffic services unit, along with the detective bureau.

The sweep was led by Sgt. Jon Bettendorf.

By Scott Bolthouse — Hub Editor — ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

An 18-year-old Romulus resident was arrested early Thursday morning on suspicion of breaking into unlocked cars in the Trail Creek subdivision.

Public Safety Director Everette Robbins says that at about 1 a.m., Huron Township police dispatch received a call reporting suspects entering vehicles in the 25000 block of West Creek Drive.

Huron police arrived in under five minutes, Robbins said, and the suspect immediately fled the area on foot.

Officers from Sumpter Township police and Metroparks police also responded to assist and set up a perimeter in the area.

Soon after, the teen was found near a wooded area and taken into custody.

He is currently being held in the Huron Township jail pending charges from the Wayne County prosecuting attorney.

The Detective Bureau and Evidence Technician Unit were called in to assist and the incident remains under investigation.

“This is a case of teamwork at its finest. It started heads up resident who observed something suspicious, a quick response by our staff, and help from neighboring agencies. As always, we encourage our residents to call us if they see anything that is just not right. That’s what were here for,” Robbins said.

“We want to remind residents to please lock their vehicles, especially at night. In most cases, thieves will bypass locked vehicles and move on to one that is not locked. Many times, they don’t want to make noise and draw attention to themselves. Also, we encourage our residents not to leave valuables in their vehicles, turn on exterior lighting, and park in the garage if possible.”

Four total reports of vehicle larcenies in Trail Creek were made, and all of the vehicles were unlocked at the time.

By Scott Bolthouse — Hub Editor — ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

Huron Township Fire Department paramedics used opiate antidote Narcan to revive three people who were suspected of overdosing on heroin Aug. 22.

Police and paramedics were called to the 22000 block of Marquee on a report of three people passed out.

Police arrived first and found two men and a woman unresponsive, and one of the men had no pulse.

Paramedics arrived soon after and administered Narcan to all three victims, which eventually revived them. They were transported to a local hospital for further treatment.

“Luckily, the initial responding officer had already been trained in the use of Narcan and was able to see the signs of the overdose. Paramedics from our fire department arrived on scene and also immediately recognized the signs of heroin overdose. Cpt. Bradley Baumann took a leadership role upon his arrival and helped save three lives. Watching how he performed his duties that day made me proud of him and everyone that responded,” said Public Safety Director Everette Robbins.

Responding pubic safety personnel included Fire Capt. Bradley Baumann (left) and Officer Michael Trester. Photo courtesy Huron Township Department of Public Safety.

Robbins said the fire department is trained to carry and administer Narcan and that the police department is in the process of training its officers to use it, but they are not carrying it at this time.

“Medical personnel on that scene that day advised me that if we had not responded in the manner that we did, there was a high potential for death for all three in a very short time period. Nationwide, the use of Narcan has been very controversial. I believe that all lives are important and we will do all we can to give people a second chance. I just hope they choose to make the most of it,” he said.