3 charged in Meijer baseball bat incident

A vehicle is towed away from in front of the Meijer store this afternoon.

By Allison Scarbrough. Contributing Editor.

AMBER TWP — A 17-year-old Fremont man was arrested Tuesday for malicious destruction of property, assault with intent to rob while armed, and manufacture of methamphetamine following a bizarre incident at the Meijer store on US-10.

Using a baseball bat, the suspect allegedly smashed out the glass door of a beverage cooler in the checkout lane.

A 44-year-old Holton woman and a 23-year-old Ravenna man were arrested for manufacture of methamphetamine. One suspect remains at large.

Troopers from the Hart post of the Michigan State Police were dispatched to the Meijer store yesterday morning. “On scene, troopers learned that a male subject had armed himself with a bat that he had retrieved from the interior of the store,” states an MSP press release issued this morning. “After arming himself with the bat, the subject began to destroy a pop cooler at the end of an aisle near a checkout register. Upon seeing the uniformed trooper, the subject fled into the store. A search of the store located the man who was arrested without incident.”

“Further investigation at the scene led to the discovery of components used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine,” the press release states. “The investigation determined that the subject inside of Meijer and three additional people were involved in the manufacturing of methamphetamine.”

The three suspects have been lodged at the Mason County Jail pending arraignment in the 79th District Court. Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Michigan DNR, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office and the State, Sheriffs, Chiefs Enforcement of Narcotics Team (SSCENT) and West Michigan Enforcement Team (WEMET).