.png)
Totten
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — The 26-year-old inmate who attempted to escape a Mason County sheriff’s deputy Nov. 20 has been arraigned on charges of escape awaiting trial for felony. The charge is one of several Jesse Allen Totten, 26, of Ludington faces.
Last Wednesday, Totten was being transported from the Mason County Jail to the Mason County Courthouse where he was scheduled to appear in a hearing. Upon arriving at the courthouse, at 2:22 p.m., and being let out of the van, Totten fled heading east and south from the courthouse. He was wearing handcuffs and a belly chain, according to Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole.
Cole said Totten was one of two inmates who was in the vehicle at the time and the deputy was unable to pursue him.
Totten was apprehended at 2:46 p.m. by Ludington Police Department officers shortly afterwards hiding behind a garage near the former Foster Elementary School about four blocks away. The sheriff’s office was also assisted by Michigan State police and Scottville Police Department. The sheriff’s office also utilized an infrared drone and multiple K-9 units.
“We had a significant law enforcement response to assist within a very short period of time,” Cole said.
The escape charge is one of several charges Totten faces.
On Nov. 1, he was arrested by Mason County Sheriff’s Office and arraigned in 79th District Court on charges of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine/ecstasy) and tampering with an electronic monitoring device. Bail was set at $50,000 cash.
Totten allegedly ran from deputies on Nov. 7 in the Tallman Lake area in Sheridan Township.
Cole said deputies were patrolling the area for Totten who was wanted on a parole violation warrant and who also was a person of interest in a break-in that occurred the previous day at multiple residences.
“A K-9 spotted a person matching the description walking on foot and when approached, the suspect fled on foot. He was captured following a foot chase. “During the arrest, a backpack was recovered that contained suspected stolen property from the break-in.”
Since that time, he has been charged with two counts of retail fraud in connection to shoplifting incidences that occurred at the Fireside Market in Sheridan Township.
In 2021, Totten was sentenced to 19 months to 20 years in prison on the charges of breaking and entering a building with intent in Lake County. In 2018, he was sentenced to prison on charges of unlawful use of a motor vehicle in Oceana County and breaking and entering a building with intent and possession of a controlled substance in Mason County. He served two years in prison on those charges with the discharge notes: “Discharged without improvement,” according to the Michigan Offender Tracking Information System.
Totten is currently lodged at the Mason County Jail.
_____________________________
Please Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.
Alternative methods:
- We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress).
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2024, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.
.jpg)
