PAW PAW TOWNSHIP – A 27-year-old Sterling Heights, MI man, with several warrants, was arrested early Wednesday morning, Jan. 18, following a high-speed chase through Van Buren and Berrien counties, according to a press release from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott reported that on Jan. 18, at approximately 12:45 a.m., Van Buren County Central Dispatch received a phone call from a semi-truck driver who was following a pick-up truck that was driving erratically on eastbound Interstate 94, near the Hartford exit. Sheriff Abbott said the pick-up truck was reported to have almost hit the semi as it drove by, weaving in and out of the travel lane at varying speeds, in addition to driving on the shoulder.
A “BOL” (Be on the Lookout) was broadcast county-wide and the vehicle was soon located by a Van Buren County sergeant near the 56-mile marker. After having witnessed erratic driving, a traffic stop was initiated, and the suspect vehicle stopped near the 59-mm in Paw Paw Township. Once stopped, the vehicle quickly took off, using an emergency vehicle turn-around to leave the eastbound lanes and travel west.
Sheriff Abbott said speeds quickly reached 85-100 mph as the pursuit continued westbound along I-94 through Van Buren County. Multiple agencies attempted to stop the vehicle with “spike strips”, however, the driver was able to avoid them. The pursuit continued into Berrien County, where it was taken over by Berrien County Sheriff’s Office deputies. A third and successful deployment of spike strips was made by Berrien County Sheriff’s deputies and the suspect continued westbound at slow speeds, despite having damaged and shredding the front left tire.
The suspect continued and made multiple attempts at swerving into police vehicles that were trying to get the vehicle to move to the side of the road. Sheriff Abbott said no squad cars were damaged during the incident. The pursuit ended near the 38-mm of westbound I-94 in Berrien County, where the driver was taken into custody by the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Abbott said a small amount of fentanyl was located during the arrest. Once identified, the suspect, Gino Miller, was found to have multiple warrants, including one out of Berrien County for flee and amp; elude and possession of cocaine, in addition to an extraditable felony warrant out of Illinois.
The report has been forwarded to the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office for review and
authorization of the charges.
The Pokagon Tribal Police and Hartford Police Department assisted in the incident.