Standoff in Ford River
One injured, M-35 closed
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FORD RIVER -- An incident that drew numerous law enforcement agencies to a residential area of M-35 in Delta County on Wednesday and closed the highway resulted in the arrest of one individual.
The “standoff,” as people have been calling the situation, did not result in violence, but one person was injured before police were called.
At 4:15 p.m. Eastern time, units from the Delta County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Ford River for a possible domestic assault. Within minutes, a news release from the sheriff’s office said, deputies arrived and made contact with a victim with injuries, who was transported to OSF St. Francis Hospital.
The suspect, James “Jimmy” Dahl, called stating he was suicidal and had guns. More than half a dozen sheriff’s deputies flocked to the residence, scoped the scene carefully and contacted the Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team for assistance.
For a couple hours, the law enforcement vehicles and personnel were parked outside the suspected address, which was between Breezy Point and the Ford River Pub, while traffic continued through the area. An ambulance was requested to stage at Breezy Point.
Close to 7 p.m., police asked for a road closure. First suggestion was to redirect traffic off of M-35 with barricades at the nearest cross streets, but because the reroute had to be able to accommodate large trucks, the northern detour was set at the intersection where M-35 meets U.S. 41, by the Stonehouse — a whole 5 1/2 miles away from the scene.
The MSP Emergency Support team arrived and cleared the house. Night fell, and the teams were then working in the dark.
Dahl was later located at a different residence.
MDOT opened M-35 back up around midnight.
Dahl, a 2016 Escanaba High School graduate, was taken to the Delta County Jail without incident. He was arraigned Thursday on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and interfering with electronic communications. His bond was set at $25,000.
Delta County Central Dispatch, Delta County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, Escanaba Public Safety, Ford River Fire Department and Mobile Medical Response all contributed to the incident response.