Felony arrests increase in the county; complaints down at PISH

Year-end statistics for 2003 were released by the Presque Isle County Sheriff?s Department. They indicate an increase in serious crimes investigated by the department from the previous year, but the number of complaints, police runs, and miles driven were down from 2002. Felony arrests were up from 2002 to 2003, from 66 to 76. There were four felony arrests in December, as opposed to five in December 2002. Officers investigated 14 criminal sexual conduct cases in 2003, which jumped from eight the year before.

WHILE CAR/DEER accidents were down from 375 to 341 in ?03, the number of overall accidents over the year had a sharp increase from 589 in 2002 to 640. The number of crashes which resulted in injuries also was up from 58 to 65. Snowmobile/ATV/boat accidents showed a slim increase from nine to 10. The totals do show some encouraging news, as alcohol-related accidents were down from 22 to 11 in 2003.

There were no alcohol-related accidents among the 44 reported in December. Property damage accidents were down from 158 to 139, as were fatal crashes. The accident that claimed the life of motorcyclist Robert W. McConnell, 61, of Alpena, in Posen, was the only fatal crash last year. There were four the year before. The number of complaints decreased from 2,687 to 2,431, as did police runs, 1,420 to 1,316. The average response time was down by two minutes, from 19 to 17. December 2003 response time was at 18 minutes. INDIVIDUAL LIQUOR violations increased from 56 to 62, bu

t OUIL arrests were down from 47 to 42. The sharpest decline came in traffic stops, down more than 300 from 1,695 to 1,361. Citations were down only 28, though (328 to 320). ?Back in 2002, we were involved in a couple of ?Click it or Ticket? campaigns,? said sheriff Terry Flewelling. ?We had gotten some overtime, and that?s what they were to do (pull people over).?

Miles driven by officers decreased from one-quarter of a million to 205,847 in 2003. ?Some of them (the vehicles) are way up there,? said Flewelling. New vehicles had 50,000 to 60,000 miles already on them, but one older vehicle had 190,000 on it.

Flewelling isn?t overly concerned because the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners gave approval to purchase a new vehicle in 2004. Flewelling is preparing to send out bids for the new patrol car. There were no arsons or homicides investigated in 2003.

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