The warm weather has provided Oxford Village Police Officers another way to patrol the streets – by bicycle.
Village Police Chief Michael Nemanowski said the officers have been patrolling through the downtown area and the neighborhoods since Memorial Day.
‘The bikes give us another avenue to patrol the streets,? said Neymanowski, adding it also gives them more mobility through the neighborhoods.
Nemanowski has received numerous phone calls from the community giving the station positive feedback on how it is good to see the bike patrol around the Village of Oxford.
He has even overheard many juveniles comment on how officers are everywhere.
While the bike patrol has been out on numerous occasions, an incident from a few weeks ago stands out when Oxford Lakes Subdivision reaped the benefits of patrol officer in their area and the officer caught a man who had a warrant out for his arrest.
Reserve Officer Keith Redlin was on patrol on the evening of July 3 when he noticed a black Grand Prix driving at a high speed in the area of Woodleigh Way and Oxford Lakes Dr. He grabbed the driver’s attention and instructed him to stop his vehicle.
The male driver ignored the officer and kept speeding and ran several stop signs.
Redlin followed, turning his lights on.
He lost sight of the vehicle because of the high speed the car was going and used his radio to notify other officers of the situation. Officers Kellie Forton and Jason Loudermilk responded.
The driver of the vehicle fled on foot, and the female passenger took over the driving by the time Redlin caught up to the Grand Prix.
The new driver followed instructions when Redlin asked her to pull over.
The other officers searched the area while Redlin spoke to the female suspect.
She stated she did not know why the driver fled and added she didn’t know him very well.
The driver of the vehicle fled from Redlin on foot while the passenger got into the driver’s seat. Redlin caught up to the vehicle and ordered the new driver to stop and she complied. The other two officers searched the subdivision and were unable to locate the suspect.
The passenger stated she did not know why the driver fled and added she did not know him very well. Both of them had been drinking wine and beer at Lake Villa Mobile Home Park.
Officer Forton left the scene to search for the suspect and noticed a male fitting the description walking down Lakeville Rd.
The suspect was out of breath and sweating. The officer asked why he was in that condition and the suspect responded it was a hot day. The officer noted it wasn’t a particularly hot day. It was 70 degrees.
He was taken back to Woodleigh Way and identified by Redlin and the passenger as the original driver. A PBT was administered and the driver had a blood alcohol content of .03 at 5:50 p.m.
A LEIN check on the subject showed he had a suspended operator’s license and a misdemeanor warrant out of the Michigan State Police post in Flint for operating while intoxicated.
He was placed under arrest and transported to Oxford Police Department for processing before he was taken to the Michigan State Police post in Lapeer.
This is the first year the bike patrol has expanded to include patroling area neighborhoods. Five officers received training from Main Street Bicycles in Oxford.