Lake Orion Police assisted Oxford Police Jan. 8 with the apprehension of allegedly intoxicated off-duty Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael G. Daves.
Daves was a 20-year veteran of the Pontiac Police Department prior to it dissolving last year. He served five months as a deputy.
Daves was arraigned Jan. 10 at 52-3 District Court in Rochester on charges of fleeing police, operating while intoxicated (second offense) and operating with a blood alcohol level of .7 or more. He allegedly led law enforcement on a brief chase before finally stopping outside a residence on Coats Road in Oxford Township. LOPD assisted Oxford Police who were occupied with a situation involving a barricaded gunman.
‘It is a sad situation,? said Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe. ‘Clearly he has an issue in his life, but that is not an excuse. We’re moving forward with his termination.?
Daves, of Oxford, was initially reported by a number of witnesses who began following him after it became apparent to them he was not in control of his driving. The initial witness followed Daves from Oakwood Road into downtown Oxford where he reportedly nearly hit a number of vehicles and one jogger. More witnesses began following Daves who pulled into a subdivision and stopped for several minutes.
He began driving again and witnesses briefly lost sight of the vehicle. At this time an LOPD officer arrived and began speaking to witnesses. The vehicle reappeared and the officer attempted to pull him over, just to have Daves slow to a stop before speeding away, according to the police report.
The witnesses were adamant in reporting Daves was wearing his uniform along with his badge. They added in the brief disappearance he appeared to remove the uniform. According to the report, police believe he deposited the uniform in a trash can.
Finally, after instructing him to leave the vehicle and drop his keys the LOPD officer was able to detain Daves, who was apologetic and cooperative once handcuffed. The report said he admitted he was intoxicated and, after taking a preliminary breath test, blew a .258 blood alcohol level.
An empty bottle of Smirnoff Vodka was found in the vehicle.
‘This officer made an unfortunate choice that led to his arrest,? said LOPD Chief Jerry Narsh. ‘Thankfully no one was hurt including Mr. Daves.?