Custer man found guilty of assaulting police.

Lilleberg

Custer man found guilty of assaulting police.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

LUDINGTON — A 27-year-old Custer man was recently found guilty on three counts of resisting/obstructing/assaulting (ROA) a police officer during a jury trial in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court. Darrick Cole Lilleberg has a history of assaulting police. 

The most recent incident occurred on Sept. 19, 2021. Ludington Police Department officers were called to the 100 block of West Melendy Street at 3:15 a.m. to investigate a disturbance. A man was yelling out on the sidewalk and would not quiet down when asked to by officers, said Cpt. Steve Wietrzykowski. “The man (Lilleberg) started yelling over the officers’ voices as they tried to calm him down. When told he was under arrest by the officers, the man pulled his arms away and struggled with officers on the ground.” 

Wietrzykowski said an officer sustained a minor knee injury during the arrest, but did not require any medical attention. Lilleberg had a cut on his hand, but it was determined he sustained the cut prior to the arrival of police.

In addition to three charges of assaulting police, Lilleberg was also charged with disorderly person – drunk, a misdemeanor. Assaulting a police officer is punishable by up to two years imprisonment. 

On Aug. 4, a jury found Lilleberg guilty on all charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 11, 2022 at 1 p.m. 

The incident wasn’t Lilleberg’s first time assaulting police officers. 

On Aug. 5, 2017, Lilliberg, who was living in Ludington at the time, was arrested by Ludington Police Department and charged with four counts of ROA. As a result of the incident, LPD Sgt. Mike Haveman suffered a major shoulder injury. A plea deal with the Mason County Prosecutor’s Office reduced the charges to three counts attempted resisting/obstructing/assaulting a police officer and resulted in Lilleberg serving 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $43,379 in restitution. 

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