Shelby Township

Police nab sex offender after exchange with girl

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Staff Writer

Shelby Township police arrested a 32-year-old Ferndale man after he allegedly had an early-morning encounter with a local youth on the way to her bus stop.

Police were dispatched to the area of 25 Mile and Dequindre roads at 7:45 a.m. Feb. 16 after a Utica Community Schools bus driver reported that a man approached a student and “asked the student some personal questions.”

“We have someone in custody, and he’s a (registered) sex offender out of Ferndale,” Shelby Township Police Capt. Roland Woelkers said. “He approached a junior high school student at Crystal Lake apartments, and he tried to get (her) in his car.”

Shortly after the report, officers picked up the suspect in a white Cadillac Seville at 23 Mile and Shelby roads. He was taken into custody on charges of drunken driving.

“He was intoxicated, so we pulled him in under arrest on that,” Woelkers said, noting that he was initially pulled over because the car matched the description from witnesses to the suspect’s encounter with the youth. “We spotted the car, pulled him over and arrested him for drunk driving.”

There is one person in the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry that matches the police description of the suspect, and he was convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct Second Degree with a person under 13 Sept. 15, 2004.

Woelkers credited the quick apprehension of the suspect to township officers’ “professional” work and the cooperation of several witnesses.

“The students were transported to Malow Jr. High School, where they were able to be interviewed by the police officers,” Lt. Stan Muszynski said in a release. “The students reported that the suspect approached a 14-year-old female walking to the bus stop.

“He asked the student some personal questions; she continued walking to her bus stop where she informed the other students of what had happened. The bus arrived and the students boarded the bus to be transported to the school. The bus driver immediately reported the incident to the bus dispatch, who notified the police.”

The arrest of this suspect marked the third time in a month that a suspect was in custody within hours of committing a crime in Shelby Township. Officers also caught a man who robbed a local McDonald’s and another who stole a fundraising jar from a coffee shop in quick time.

“I’m extremely proud of the Shelby Township Police Department and the way they have managed to catch the bad guys,” Township Supervisor Richard Stathakis said.

“Within the last two weeks, major crimes have been solved, some within hours. I’m very proud of the way Capt. Woelkers, in his role as acting chief, has cut the bureaucracy. Things are going really well in the Police Department.”

Woelkers said he’s not surprised by the quick turnaround of the recent crimes, as he believes it’s proof of the quality personnel he has in his department.

“It’s a combination of really good police work and help from witnesses and the community,” Woelkers said. ”There’s always a little bit of luck involved, but a lot of it is good police work.”

This latest incident is still under investigation.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact Lt. Stan Muszynski at (586) 731-2121, ext. 315, or at muszynskis@shelbytwppd.org.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1029.