A recent overdose and drug bust in the Village of Lake Orion has Police Chief Jerry Narsh worried about an old problem–heroin.
‘It’s a reality; it’s here,? he said. ‘The Lake Orion Police Department is taking hard and serious action against this drug. Against those who use it, and those who sell it. Heroin is a drug of death. Those who use it, and those who sell it, are dealers of death.?
On Nov. 21, a 33-year-old village resident died from a heroin overdose on S. Andrews Street.
A few weeks later, on Dec. 8, Chad Benson was arrested and subsequently charged with heroin possession with intent to deliver after Lake Orion police executed a search warrant at an apartment on S. Broadway in downtown Lake Orion.
Evidence gathered by the LOPD suggests the apartment and Benson were at the center of increased heroin activity in the village, according to Narsh.
And if any link between Benson and the overdose case can be established, Benson may face increased charges of contributing to the 33-year-old’s death.
‘If that connection exists and we find that connection, there will be charges we will seek,? Narsh said.
Heroin instances first started showing up early this summer, when Benson is believed to have arrived in the Lake Orion area. The 24-year-old grew up around the Lapeer area.
In July, a Lake Orion officer witnessed a 23-year-old white male, who turned out to be a village resident, pull a vehicle off M-24 onto Flint Street and drive directly into a tree.
‘The driver got out of the car and just started walking eastbound on Flint Street as though nothing had happened. Steam was shooting out of the radiator,? Narsh said.
The officer found heroin packets on the 23-year-old after apprehending him. Blood tests later revealed the suspect had a narcotic cocktail of eight scheduled drugs in his system, including morphine, heroin, methadone and THC, all in very high levels.
Narsh said he hasn’t seen anything like that in 30 years of law enforcement, and was shocked the suspect was still alive.
‘This guy was driving at M-24 and Flint and took out half of a tree. It could’ve been a pedestrian, it could have been a kid on a bike. It could have been you and your family in a car,? Narsh said.
While waiting for blood tests to come back from state labs, the man was released on bond, and subsequently rearrested in another heroin possession matter.
This case and the overdose led LOPD to began investigating heroin use and possession in the village and the connections between the cases.
They began to investigate Benson.
‘We observed many young people going in and out of this apartment,? Narsh said.
What concerned police the most was that there was a pattern of young girls, sixteen and possibly younger, that were addicted to heroin, who were compelled to identify homes to burglarize to take care of their drug debts, according to Narsh.
Benson was also involved in home invasions in the Lapeer area.
‘Where you have heroin in your community, you will have all the crimes that are included with it: sex for drugs, home invasions, larceny from vehicles and purse snatching,? Narsh said.? You can see how devastating this is for our community.?
Police eventually cultivated ‘confidential informants. These, in addition to undercover police purchases of the drugs, or ‘dirty buys,? helped LOPD to obtain a search warrant for Benson’s downtown Lake Orion apartment, which they executed around 9 p.m. on Dec. 8.
Police not only found brown heroin, needles, cooker spoons and electronic scales in Benson’s apartment, but also recovered a large amount of property that connected him with a home invasion in the Lapeer area.
According to Narsh, the home invasion included a larceny of weapons which were quickly sold. He also said a sixteen-year-old girl identified the house to Benson to be burglarized.
Among other paraphernalia found were cut-up Starburst packets, which Benson allegedly used to distribute heroin.
‘We have found those wrappers in other possession cases,? Narsh said.
The investigation was spearheaded by Ofc. Chris Mires, according to Narsh.
‘He did an outstanding job,? Narsh said.
Benson was arraigned at the 52-3 District Court by Magistrate Marie Soma on charges of possession of heroin with intent to deliver.
Since Benson already has prior convictions, it could be a 40-year felony and/or $50,000 in fines.
Benson is currently being held in Oakland County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Narsh said that while Lake Orion can’t eradicate America’s drug problem, he wants to send a message: ‘If you’re a user or a seller of this drug, we will not plea bargain. We will use all the tools available to find you and shut you down,? he said.
While the village has seen adults die from overdoses, he worries about the young ages of those involved in the Benson case.
‘My greatest fear is that our youth decides to ride this lighting, whose end result is always death,? Narsh said.
And while activity seemed to be on the rise in the summer, fall and early winter, Narsh said Lake Orion is far from being a hotbed of drug use compared with other areas.
‘If it’s in Lake Orion, it’s everywhere. We are as small-town America as you can find. We espouse those values. The events in our community reflects the mores of the heart of America. Because of those values, it is important that we face and deal with these things that could deteriorate that,? he said.