Everette Robbins, Huron Township director of public safety

Posted Tuesday , Dec. 15, 2020
By Scott Bolthouse | THE HURON HUB

Huron Township’s public safety director responded to a social media rumor posted recently alleging of a police impersonator roaming the streets of Huron Township.

The woman who made the allegation posted false information in her post, according to Everette Robbins, director of public safety.

Robbins said after meeting with the driver, she agreed to post a public apology and explain what actually happened.

The driver did not post an apology, and Robbins said he needed to clear up the issue because he was receiving calls from concerned residents about the possible police impersonator.

“This past Sunday, December 13th, 2020 at approximately 8:00a.m., the Huron Township Deputy Police Chief was ON DUTY in his undercover police department owned vehicle. This vehicle is equipped with complete emergency lighting as consistent with all unmarked investigative vehicles,” Robbins said in a Facebook post.

He added: “The Deputy Chief was traveling southbound on Waltz Road. Road conditions were wet and there was frost on the ground. As he travelled, a vehicle approached his vehicle, also southbound, at a high rate of speed. The vehicle passed his vehicle in a careless manner at a rate of speed much higher than the posted speed limit. Out of concern for the driver’s safety, as well as the safety of other drivers on the road, the Deputy Chief felt it was necessary to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle. Immediately upon making contact with the driver, the Deputy Chief identified himself and told the driver that he was employed with the Huron Township Department of Public Safety.”

“He further advised the driver why they were being stopped. Although argumentative, the driver indicated that they had her small child inside the vehicle and was running late to drop the child off with family. They admitted to exceeding the speed limit,” Robbins said.

Robbins said the deputy chief gave the driver the option to have a marked unit respond, and the driver said they did not require a marked unit.

“To avoid them being uncomfortable about who he was, he advised the driver to call our Emergency Dispatch Center to confirm his identity. The driver did in fact call the Huron Township Emergency Dispatch Center and confirmed the Deputy Chief’s identity as well as his vehicle description. The driver continued to be argumentative throughout stating they were running late. He ultimately released the driver at the scene with the hopes that it would be a learning experience,” he said.

After seeing the post from the driver on social media, Robbins said he met with her personally.

“It was inferred in the post that the driver was unclear whether or not it was a “real” police officer and that the person refused to identify themselves. It was obvious from the post and from subsequent phone calls that I received that this caused fear and concern in the community. I immediately began an internal investigation regarding this incident so that I could inform the community accurately as to what happened. It should be noted that I, nor any of our command staff, ever received a call from the driver or anyone associated with them to discuss the reality of this incident. We can all draw our own conclusions as to why that is,” Robbins said.

“I personally met with the driver yesterday. The driver admitted that the Deputy Chief DID identify himself. The driver did admit that they were not completely truthful in the content of their social media post. The driver admitted driving in a careless manner. One thing we agreed on was that the driver and their son were in danger, NOT from the actions of our Deputy Chief performing his duties, but from the driver’s actions while they were driving. They agreed to do a post to the community that told the truth on the same social media site where they originally posted the dishonest statement on. They further agreed to apologize to the community for spreading unnecessary fear. In fairness, I gave them 24 hours to correct their wrongs, but they have chosen so far not to stand by what they said they would do to make this right. So, I felt it was important to write this post to inform our community that we do NOT have a fake police officer as inferred on Sunday.”

Here is the entire Facebook post from the public safety department:

Posted Wednesday , Dec. 9, 2020
By Scott Bolthouse | THE HURON HUB

It’s the holiday season, which for most signals times of celebration and good cheer.

For some criminal opportunists, however, it’s the time of the year to target those who let their guard down.

To educate the public on safe holiday season activity, the Huron Township Department of Public Safety posted a public service announcement with some important information to keep you and your family safe during the holidays.

View the department’s Facebook post below:

Huron Hub file photo

By Scott Bolthouse
The Huron Hub – Nov. 12, 2020
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

Saturday was a busy day for the Huron Township Department of Public Safety.

The department responded to several calls on Nov. 7 and some residents inquired about the increased first responder activity in Huron Township, said Everette Robbins, director of public safety.

“I received several calls from concerned residents wondering why they heard sirens throughout the day and into the evening. None of these incidents were related. We had several major incidents that happened along with our regular call for service volume. Fortunately, we were able to pull together and get each of these incidents resolved professionally and safely,” he said.

Just after 1:30 p.m., a 911 call came in from a male that identified himself as a 13-year-old-boy.

The male advised dispatch staff that his mother was being stabbed by her father in the 31300 block of Autumn Day Street.

The caller said the father was coming towards him, that he was in danger, and ended the call.

A second call was also received from a person stating they were a neighbor and could hear screaming coming from the residence where the stabbing was occurring.

Huron Township police officers, along with assistance from the Flat Rock Police Department, responded to the address and attempted to make contact with the occupants of the residence.

After not being able to make contact and with fear that multiple people were being stabbed inside the residence, officers made entry into the residence.

It was determined that the incident was unfounded and likely a “swatting” incident. The neighboring residence was also checked and uninvolved.

Swatting is the act of creating a hoax 911 call typically involving hostages, gunfire, or other acts of extreme violence, with the goal of diverting emergency public safety resources to an unsuspecting person’s residence.

Making false reports to emergency services is a criminal offense, punishable by fines and imprisonment. It also appears that the suspects were able to hack into the residence’s Ring camera system and watch the police response and communicate with the homeowners.

The incident is currently being investigated.

“Unfortunately, many lives were placed into danger during this incident, from first responders as they travelled to the scene to the unsuspecting homeowners. It is unclear why these particular addresses and residents were targeted, and we appreciate their cooperation and support,” Robbins said.

Related article: Man attempts to stab police officer before dying from self-inflicted stab wounds; had history of similar incident

Other occurrences that happened on the same afternoon:

2:46 p.m. – The Huron Township Public Safety Department Emergency Dispatch Center received a call from an officer with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He reported an altercation in the area of Waltz Road and Oakville Waltz between two drivers. It was further reported that one driver had a sledgehammer and was using it in a threatening manner. Huron Township police responded to the location and one person was detained.

2:52 p.m. – Dispatch received a call from a witness that observed what appeared to be a fight between a man and a woman inside a vehicle in the 22900 block of Waltz Road. The vehicle was reported to begin travelling southbound on Waltz Road. Huron Township police units responded and located the vehicle. A traffic stop was initiated, and two people were detained. No arrests were made based on the victim’s statement.

5:34 p.m. – The Huron Township Police and Fire Departments responded to the area of Gentz and Savage for a single vehicle motorcycle accident. The motorcycle struck the guard rail. The driver was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. The Downriver Crash Team responded to the scene and assisted with the investigation. There is no current update as to the driver’s condition.

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By Scott Bolthouse
The Huron Hub – Nov. 12, 2020
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

A man with a history of a similar incident died from self-inflicted stab wounds on Saturday, Nov. 7 in the parking lot of Chapps Landing Travel Center, 35777 South Huron Road.

Police say the 48-year-old Canton man struggled briefly with officers before taking his own life by stabbing himself in the chest multiple times.

An officer received minor injuries during the incident and was treated at a local hospital.

Huron Township Department of Public Safety Dispatch received a call regarding a man and woman fighting inside a vehicle near one of the gas pumps at 11:04 a.m.

A Huron police officer assigned to the Traffic Services Unit working traffic enforcement on I-275 near South Huron Road was on the scene within 30 seconds, said Everette Robbins, director of public safety.

The officer observed a struggle occurring in the vehicle between the man and woman and immediately intervened.

The man exited the vehicle with a large knife in his hand, and after a brief struggle, the suspect attempted to stab the officer and then attempted to flee the area on foot.

The Huron Township K-9 Unit responded within 20 seconds of the initial officer’s arrival on scene.

The second officer immediately took the suspect to the ground as he attempted to flee.

The suspect again brandished the knife and officers backed away and attempted to get him to drop the weapon.

The suspect then stabbed himself multiple times in the chest area.

Officers were able to secure the suspect, remove the weapon from his possession, and begin life-saving efforts.

Paramedics with the Huron Township Fire Department and Huron Valley Ambulance responded and continued with life-saving efforts, but the suspect was pronounced dead from the self-inflicted stab wounds.

The officer who was injured during the initial struggle received minor injuries from the knife and was treated at a local hospital.

“Our dispatch staff did a terrific job of getting every bit of information they could from the 911 callers and getting it our quickly to area patrol staff. They never get the credit they deserve for getting our police and fire first responders to the scene quickly and safely,” Robbins said. “I am so proud of the teamwork displayed between responding officers and fire staff. They quickly transitioned from addressing a threat to making life-saving efforts.”

The Huron Township Police Department Detective Bureau and Evidence Technician Unit responded to handle the investigation and process the crime scene for evidence.

After the on-scene investigation, the man’s remains were transported to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office.

An investigation revealed that the suspect was currently on GPS tether for a similar incident and was released from a jail outside Huron’s jurisdiction 24 hours prior to this incident.

Sumpter Township police, Canadian Pacific Railroad police, Huron Township Fire Department and Huron Township Police Reserve Unit assisted throughout the day with scene security and traffic control.

“Our investigation indicated that the initial struggle inside the vehicle between the man and woman was a fight over the large knife. Our female victim was without question fighting for her life. There is no doubt in my mind that our officer’s quick response and intervention likely saved her life. We were extremely fortunate that we had officers not only in a good position to respond quickly, but also willing to place themselves in harm’s way to stop the threat. I am extremely proud of them,” Robbins said. “We appreciate the patience and assistance of the owners of Chapp’s Landing as well as Burger King throughout our investigation. This was a random incident that was out of their control and should be no reflection on either business.”

Related: Public Safety Department responds to hoax call, several other calls during busy Saturday in Huron Township

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