Public Safety

July 17, 2011

Public Safety: Regional Eye on Crime
Fatal Traffic Crash
An 18-year-old Benzie County woman died after she crashed her car on Mud
Lake Road near Interlochen.
Allyson Kaye Mayer struck a tree around 4:30 a.m. on July 8, Grand
Traverse Sheriff Lt. Bryan Marrow said. Mayer, who had an Interlochen
address, was not wearing a seatbelt.
The crash was discovered on the remote dirt road by a passing motorist who
called 911. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene at 8:13 a.m.

Assault and Vandalism
TC Police responded to a disorderly person complaint at a bar near closing
time on July 9.
Upon arrival officers found a fight in progress at the Union Street
Station, which they broke up, Capt. Steve Morgan said.
Steven Wayne Pendill, 42, Traverse City, had allegedly punched another
patron in the eye and injured him. When police attempted to take him in
for assault, though, he would not go easily. He fought with officers as
they attempted to place him into a patrol car and continued to fight once
seated, Morgan said.
In addition to a charge of assault and battery, the man also faces charges
of malicious destruction of property for allegedly kicking out a door
window on a police cruiser and assault charges for fighting with police.
Pendill was on probation for third-offense drunk driving when the ordeal
occurred.

Dog Death
A dog died after a casino-goer left two pets inside a parked car outside
of the Little River Casino in Manistee.
Another patron called security after seeing two dogs panting and desperate
inside a parked car with the windows rolled up on July 10, tribal
spokesman Glenn Zaring said. Tribal police and casino security responded
immediately, he said.
“One of the dogs had already succumbed to the heat and the other dog was
in pretty bad shape,” Zaring said. The other dog was taken to shade, given
water and then transported to a vet clinic where it survived.
Zaring said the case is under investigation to determine if the pet owner
should face charges.
The high temp-erature that afternoon in Manistee was 84 degrees with a
heat index of 90, according to the National Weather Service.

Bank Robbery
Police nabbed an alleged bank robber July 13 accused of staging a heist at
the West Michigan Credit Union in Cadillac.
Wexford County Sheriff’s deputies received an alarm at 4:52 p.m. A lone
white male entered the credit union armed with a silver semi-automatic
handgun. The heavy-set suspect got away with an undisclosed amount of
money in a Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck.
A little over 24 hours later, a 33-year-old man was arrested by sheriff’s
deputies, state police, and FBI agents.

Felonious Assault
An adult foster care home resident is in jail after he allegedly went
after his roommate and a staff member with a hammer.
Jerry Athan, 43, faces two counts of felonious assault in Cheboygan County
after the incident that happened in a home in Afton at around 10:15 p.m.
on July 11, according to state police from the Cheboygan post.
Athan retrieved a small hammer from a dresser drawer and launched the
attack before the staff member and roommate were able to get out of the
room and close a door that separated them from the suspect, police said.