Death threats telephoned in to a Cass County medical clinic this morning forced the facility into an immediate lockdown until police were able to track down the man responsible for those threats and take him into protective custody.
Dowagiac's Director of Public Safety Steve Grinnewald reports that about 9am this morning, a medical assistant at the Borgess Lee Medical Group in the 500 block of Main Street in Dowagiac received a telephone call from a disgruntled patient who threatened to kill specific people working at the clinic by shooting them. The man told the medical assistant he would be on the way to the clinic to carry out his threats.
Dowagiac Police were immediately dispatched to the clinic and placed the entire building on lockdown with officers posted on site. As a separate precaution, Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital was also placed into lockdown mode with officers positioned at entrances there as well due to the hospital's proximity to the clinic that had been threatened.
As officers stood guard at the medical facilities, colleagues from the department searched the city in an attempt to track down the man responsible for the threats. Clinic staff who had communicated with the man informed police that he also had told them he planned to visit a relative at The Timbers of Cass County on Colby Street in the city before making his way to the clinic.
Fortunately for everyone involved, police found the man responsible for the death threats at The Timbers location and took him into custody without incident. A search of both the suspect and his vehicle failed to turn up any weapons, however the investigation continues to determine whether the man actually owns or has access to weapons ahead of any charges that might be filed.
A 53-year old Dowagiac man is lodged in the Cass County Jail on charges of making a terrorist threat and threatening telephone communications. His name is being withheld pending authorization of charges through the Cass County Prosecutor's Office. He is slated to be arraigned in Cass County District Court tomorrow afternoon, Friday, March 11th.
Dowagiac Police were assisted during the incident by the Cass County Sheriff's Office, the Pokagon Tribal Police Department, Silver Creek Township Police, Michigan State Police and members of the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Dowagiac Police Department at 269-782-9743 or the Cass County Tip Line at 800-462-9328.
