By Paul Garrod
Staff Writer
A Lawton man and Mattawan woman face charges following a high-speed chase last month through Van Buren and Kalamazoo counties where they managed to elude authorities before their eventual surrender nearly a week later in Van Buren County, according to a press release from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
On Jan. 31, Van Buren County Sheriff’s deputies were involved in a high-speed chase involving Brandon Lee Bloomfield, 33, of Lawton, and his passenger, Amanda Schiero-Farrow, 35, of Mattawan.
The chase began in Paw Paw and traveled east into Kalamazoo County. The driver, Bloomfield, and his passenger, Schiero-Farrow, fled after abandoning the car in a trailer park off KL Avenue. A Michigan State Police (MSP) Unit was brought in, however, was unsuccessful in locating the suspects.
On Feb. 6, Michigan Department of Corrections agents received information that Bloomfield and Schiero-Farrow were hiding out at an address in the 23000 block of Lee Drive in Porter Township. Narcotics detectives, along with MDOC agents and MSP K-9 units began surveillance early that morning while attempting to get probable cause for a search warrant. A search warrant was drafted by Narcotics detectives from Van Buren County and agents with MDOC. Narcotics detectives and MDOC agents executed the search warrant at 1:30 p.m. Bloomfield and Schiero-Farrow surrendered without incident.
A second search warrant was drafted for narcotics and methamphetamine located in the house. A third subject came to the door when the search warrant was executed with methamphetamine paraphernalia in his pocket. Detectives will submit charges on him for possession of methamphetamine.
The case is being forwarded to the Van Buren Prosecutor’s Office for charges. Bloomfield faces charges of fleeing and eluding and possession of methamphetamine. Schiero-Farrow, a parole absconder, had a felony warrant issued out of Kalamazoo for dangerous drugs. Bloomfield and Schiero-Farrow were transported to the Van Buren County Jail.
Investigating agencies included the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit
and Michigan Department of Corrections. The MSP K-9 Unit assisted.
The Van Buren County Narcotics Unit is comprised of deputies from Van Buren County and officers from South Haven Police Department.
Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott said that the original incident occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at approximately 12:17 p.m., when detectives with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit investigated the sales of methamphetamine on County Road 665 and Valley Drive, Paw Paw.
Detectives were able to identify a suspect, a 33-year-old Lawton man, and attempted to conduct a traffic stop with this suspect that stemmed from the methamphetamine investigation. The suspect, who was on parole, pulled into an apartment complex and then jumped his car off an embankment to elude officers. The car traveled north with deputies in pursuit and then went east from Paw Paw into Mattawan and continued into Kalamazoo County.