By Teddy Rydquist

Leader Staff Writer

“Washing dishes”

At 6:07 p.m. on September 17, a fight broke out between two juveniles, both aged 14, at Crossroads for Youth, located on E. Drahner Road.

The victim in the incident stated he was washing dishes in the kitchen and the other juvenile was sitting at a table behind him throwing items at him.

A brief verbal altercation ensued, before the boy stood up from the table and began choking the boy washing dishes from behind. The victim told Oakland County Sheriff deputies the aggressor said he was going to kill him several times during the roughly 30-second struggle, a claim corroborated by a 31-year-old employee who witnessed and attempted to break up the fight.

According to reports, the aggressor,  whose father is deceased, and mother is homeless, was uncooperative and disrespectful toward deputies, resulting in him being handcuffed and placed in the rear of a patrol car.

Deputies observed light red marks on the neck of the boy washing dishes, but he declined medical treatment.

Charged with felonious assault, the boy who instigated the attack was taken to Children’s Village.

“Awareness of a 10-year-old”

Deputies were dispatched to Dunlap Circle for a report of family trouble at 4:45 p.m. on September 8. The caller, a 43-year-old woman, told authorities her 18-year-old son hit her on the right leg leaving a mark, which was visible to deputies.

The pair were arguing, and the mother said her son has done this before and she wants him out of the home. After speaking with the 18-year-old, and verifying with the mother, deputies reported the son had issues.  He could barely read or write, and deputies said in their report, “He has the awareness of a 10-year-old.”

Given the son’s mental capacity, he was transported to Common Ground for a Jail Diversion.

“Chore Boy”

An Oxford Police officer observed a blue 2004 Dodge Dakota pickup truck traveling eastbound on Lakeville Road without functioning license plate lights at 1:27 a.m. on September 15.

Initiating a traffic stop near Parker Lake Road, the driver was identified as a 33-year-old Lake Orion man and his 32-year-old girlfriend was in the truck with him.

A Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) query showed the man had a child neglect arrest warrant from the Macomb County Friend of the Court, for which the Oakland County Jail agreed to lodge him on Macomb County’s behalf.

A look into the girlfriend revealed a narcotics paraphernalia warrant out of Oakland County. She was advised and released and was never handcuffed during this interaction.

The Dakota was impounded by Buckhorn Towing, but an inventory search was conducted before it was towed away.

According to reports, when asked if there was anything illegal in the truck, the girlfriend stated she and her boyfriend both use heroin and crack cocaine and there was paraphernalia in the vehicle.

During the search, a coarse scouring pad made of steel or bronze wool, commonly used to aid in smoking crack cocaine, was in the center console.

The woman also voluntarily produced an unmarked pill bottle from her purse, which she identified as Fioricet, a prescription-only medication used to treat tension headaches. A syringe containing a mixture of the woman’s blood and heroin was found tucked in the right side of the passenger seat, along with two more syringes and syringe caps in the glove compartment.

Both parties were issued misdemeanor drug paraphernalia tickets and the girlfriend left the scene on foot.

“Shirtless and with no shoes or socks”

At 5:25 a.m. on September 7, Oxford officers were called to a “vehicle vs. porch” accident on Pontiac Street.

Upon arrival, officers observed a red 2009 Ford Flex facing southbound in the front yard of the Pontiac Street home. There was also damage to a chain link fence separating the home from Oxford Elementary School, a tree, flagpole, and the elementary school’s sign.

Knocking on the front door of the home, the 54-year-old homeowner, who was also the caller, answered and directed officers’ attention to the driver of the Flex, a 14-year-old Oxford young man, who was sitting in the living room shirtless and without shoes or socks.

According to reports, the young man smelled of intoxicants, his eyes were glossy and bloodshot, and, upon standing, had trouble maintaining his balance.

When asked what happened, the young man simply stated, “I got drunk and crashed my parents’ car.”

He said he was playing video games at home and, around 1 a.m., decided to drink some tequila in the house. A couple of hours later, he made the ill-advised choice to take his parents’ Flex, without their permission, for a joyride. The young man was not injured and consented to a preliminary breath test (PBT), which registered a .13, more than one-and-a-half times the legal limit in Michigan.

Charged with operating under the influence (OWI), the young man was lodged at Oakland County’s Children’s Village.