Mount Pleasant Police Department Public Information Officer Jeff Browne said the subject was wearing a mask and carrying an umbrella and newspaper under his arm while walking outside. He then went inside McDonald’s, 904 E. Pickard St., and bought a cup of coffee. That’s when the police were called, Browne said.

“It was a false alarm and not something to make light of,” Browne said. “We were just glad someone felt comfortable enough to call us.”

Attorney General Bill Schuette proposed an increase of 1,000 officers on Michigan streets last Wednesday.

This increase was paired with a proposal that would put people who have committed three felony crimes behind bars for 25 years.

“As a police chief being in law enforcement for 30-plus years, I am a firm supporter of having more officers available in our community,” Central Michigan University Police Chief Bill Yeagley said.

Yeagley and Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski both said they were unsure as to where the proposed officers would end up.

“There is no question that there are certain places that would benefit from more officers,” Mioduszewski said.

Figures and losses

Jeff Browne, Mount Pleasant Police Department public information officer, said the department currently has 19 officers on the road, 14 assigned to special assignment and one officer in the narcotics department.

Browne, Yeagley and Mioduszewski all said other areas having faced more budget cuts would be more likely to receive more officers.

“Particularly (in) Michigan we are all in a world of hurt,” Yeagley said. “There are no easy choices.”

Yeagley said Central Michigan University administration has done a great job balancing and making as few cuts related to police officers as possible.

With 22 sworn CMU officers, Yeagley said this number includes officers who reside in residence halls, those who patrol in marked cars and detectives.

CMU Police recently lost one vacant position because of budget cuts that could not be filled.

ICSD has lost two youth services officers in recent years, Mioduszewski said.

He said  2-percent funding from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe has been dwindling in recent years, because the economy affects the casino revenues.

This amount was previously agreed to fund future public services, and the tribe can choose where the funding ends up.

MPPD lost one officer to budget constraints last year and may lose one to two over the course of this year.

Law enforcement mentalities

“Law enforcement today is a lot more than just fighting crime,” Yeagley said.

He said officers who reside in residence halls can provide insight into law enforcement actions.

These officers spend more than 95 percent of their time in that residence hall.

“I can’t tell you how many times I drive by and people put their seatbelt on,” Browne said.

Yeagley said the primary focus of CMU police is to make people feel safer.

“The only people that should be intimidated by us are those who are trying to harm others,” Yeagley said.

His colleagues said he has done a substantial amount of work in the community and his services will be missed.

Mount Pleasant Director of Public Safety Tony Gomez-Mesquita is resigning at the end of the month for unknown reasons.

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said he has known Gomez-Mesquita for 20 years.

As department heads, Gomez-Mesquita and Mioduszewski worked together often.

“He’s a true professional. He was great to work with, as far as working together,” he said. “He put effort into working on projects to make it better for citizens.”

Mioduszewski said Gomez-Mesquita is a very confident and motivated individual, which were two assets he brought to the Mount Pleasant community.

“He was one of those individuals that (was) eager to start a project, but most importantly, he wanted to see the end result,” he said.

Central Michigan University Police Chief Bill Yeagley said he and Gomez-Mesquita both began their careers in the community.

He took over the position for Yeagley in September 2009.

“He’s a very intelligent and aggressive police officer,” Yeagley said. “As he moved through the ranks, he was a great administrator and leader.”

Yeagley said Gomez-Mesquita understood what it took to provide a quality service to the community, and he did just that.

“He has also been very effective in bringing the law enforcement community together,” he said.

State Police Lt. Chris Stolicker said Gomez-Mesquita was one of the first troopers he became acquainted with in 1987.

Stolicker said Gomez-Mesquita was a leader in law enforcement in every aspect.

“He’s a good mentor,” he said. “He provided a fantastic leadership role, especially in the Mount Pleasant community, which he made his home.”

Gomez has worked in 14 different communities across the state and also served in the Michigan State Police for more than 25 years.

According to a news release from Mount Pleasant Police Department Public Information Officer Jeff Browne, Court was reported missing on Sunday.

The preliminary investigation showed Court died of natural causes, but the investigation is ongoing. An autopsy will help determine the cause of death, the release stated.

Check back with cm-life.com for updates to this story.

The man was reported missing by his family on Jan. 1 after he left the residence at approximately 3 a.m.

Mount Pleasant City Police Department was dispatched to the 500 block of South Bradley Street where they discovered the body of the man in an open field and determined he was deceased.

After a preliminary investigation it was discovered the man died of natural causes. The incident is still under investigation and the name has not be released. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department responded to the accident at 5:35 p.m. A dark gray Chevy Silverado was attempting to turn out of the J.C. Penney parking lot to head northbound on South Mission Street when it collided with a red Chevy Aveo.

Mount Pleasant Police Officer Kurt Solmonson said two children were possibly injured in the accident.

“They’re being checked out,” Solmonson said. “It (the ambulance) took away the three from the car.”

The driver of the Aveo was described by Solmonson to be a male in his 30s, and his passengers were the two children transported to the hospital. The driver of the Silverado was described to be in his 50s and was uninjured.

The Aveo suffered heavy front-end damage, while the Silverado appeared to have suffered damage to its front bumper.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department was assisted by the Michigan State Police and Mobile Medical Response.

The items, totaling about $1,750 worth of property, were taken from a  vehicle at the 1100 block of East High Street.

Mount Pleasant Police Public Information Officer Jeff Browne said the items were stolen at about 3:42 p.m. on Nov. 15. They were reported missing on Saturday.

“We have the suspects, they have not been interviewed,” Browne said. “We actually recovered the property on Nov. 15, but we didn’t know who it belonged to.”

The merchandise stolen includes one Remington model 770 270 caliber rifle and one Hoyt Powerhawk bow. The items were valued at $800 each. A Kodak Easyshare camera valued at $150 was also stolen.

An officer investigated the issue at approximately 2:12 a.m. Friday at Wayside Central, 2000 S. Mission St.

Mount Pleasant Police Public Information Officer Jeff Browne said it really is not kidnapping in the typical sense.

“It’s not what it sounds like,” Browne said. “I don’t know why it was listed as a kidnapping. What they’re claiming is he wouldn’t let her leave. It’s not really kidnapping, it’s more like imprisonment.”

It’s still open because of incomplete interviews with suspects, he said.

“It’s an old complaint,” Browne said. “We had contact with the boyfriend and girlfriend.”

The female is a 27-year-old from the Remus area, and the 27-year-old male is from Weidman.

“He allegedly hit her,” Browne said. “When he hit her, he also cracked the mirror on her vehicle.”

A blue Grand Caravan collided with a gray Chevy Cruze around 1:05 p.m. at the four-way stop at West Campus Drive and Preston Street.

“The Dodge Grand Caravan was heading eastbound, failed to stop for the sign, and collided with the Chevy Cruze,” Mount Pleasant Police Public Information Officer Jeff Browne said. “The Chevy Cruze was southbound on West Campus Drive.”

Browne said both drivers were injured. The driver of the Caravan was a 30-year-old Midland woman, and the driver of the Chevy Cruze was a 20-year-old male from Grand Rapids.

Details on the injuries were not released.

The Grand Caravan was a vehicle for D & D Asphalt Specialist, LLC. The vehicle suffered severe front-end damage, whereas the Chevy Cruze suffered heavy damage on the passenger side, causing its air bags to deploy.

Mount Pleasant Police were assisted by Mobile Medical Response and the Mount Pleasant Fire Department.

Officers declined comment at the scene.

No citations were given.

According to a press release from the Mount Pleasant Police Department, an officer pulled over the 26-year-old man at approximately 12:17 a.m. The officer believed Wiggins showed signs of intoxication and proceeded to ask him to step out of the vehicle for field sobriety tests.

“The officer stopped the vehicle on a routine traffic stop when the officer smelled what he believed was alcohol coming from the driver’s breath,” said Mount Pleasant Police Department Public Information Officer Jeff Browne.

Wiggins then fled the scene, driving his 2003 Ford Crown Victoria through Central Michigan University’s campus while being pursued by the officer. The pursuit ended when Wiggins crashed into a utility pole after he was traveling too fast. He had been attempting to turn off Broomfield Road to go north on Isabella Road.

Following a short foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody and lodged at the Isabella County Jail.

Wiggins is charged with one count of fleeing and eluding third degree, two counts of resisting and obstructing, one count of driving with a suspended license second offense, one count of no insurance and one count of false identification.

“We don’t get a whole lot of flee and eludes. It’s something that doesn’t happen every day here, thankfully,” Browne said. “It puts the public at risk if you don’t know why they’re fleeing. You don’t know what happened that causes that person to drive at high speeds.”

He is being held at the Isabella County Jail on an $80,000 cash surety bond.