Chelsea police officer hits utility pole while responding to call
A Chelsea police officer responding to a burglary alarm lost control of his police car and crashed into a utility pole in the 1000 block of South Main Street Tuesday morning.
Chelsea Police Chief Ed Toth said the officer was not injured in the early morning accident.
He said the officer was driving south on Main Street at about 1:10 a.m., passed a semi truck, lost control, and his vehicle landed in someone's front yard, taking out a utility pole.
Toth said the crash was investigated by Michigan State Police troopers. He said he is waiting for insurance adjusters to come out and give an estimate on the damage to the car.
He said the incident would be "thoroughly investigated like any incident of this nature," and the officer remains on duty. He did not identify the officer.
Lisa Allmendinger is a reporter with AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Chelsea stories, visit our Chelsea page.
Comments
RJA
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 2:44 a.m.
Get REAL! Police officers never get the credit they deserve putting their lives on the line every day. I hardly think this accident was on purpose, or that a ticket is necessary. It seems like the only time anyone can say something nice about an officer is when they are shot dead. Until it is proven otherwise, I believe this officer was on a run, and hit a patch of ice. Happy to hear the office wasn't injured and still on the job.
UofM_Fan
Mon, Jan 10, 2011 : 9:30 a.m.
The problem is that the force is so small, that a "bad cop" really brings the percieved quality of the entire force down fast. This is not a new problem. Chelsea, like many small communities I'm sure, is suffering growing pains. It's a city now, not a village and services have to grow as well. Unfortunately, the police department has been run (and to an extent still is in some ways) like a small town department. It's sad, but it takes time to break down the "good ol' boy network". Now, in regards to this story. There have been a large number of break-ins and robberies in Chelsea (and surrounding areas), and so far none of them have been solved as far a I know. So, there is a real sense of urgency on the part of the police force to try to catch these thieves. The officer was responding to an alarm, reported to him by the dispatcher. He was doing his job. The lack of information in this article, combined with a mistrust of the Chelsea Police Department, leads to comments like those posted here. Where was the alarm? Was it a false alarm? I don't know if the reporter didn't bother to find that out, or did the police not tell her? The story definitely is short on facts and brings up more questions than what it answers.
Nephilim
Sun, Jan 9, 2011 : 9:55 p.m.
God you people are amazing. Rod, i bet it's a two way street pal. I'm sure you probably have such a pleasant and approachable disposition and the minute one of these arrogant chelsea officers did approach you, I bet it would be nothing but friendliness on your end. Give me a break, did you ever think that they were friendlier way back when because the citizens were friendlier way back then. Now all they see and hear is people like you that read a two page article and you already have deemed them guilty of everything short of intentional utility pole murder.....I cant believe one of you haven't suggested that the villainous cop pay for the utility pole. Im sure they probably had a bet to see how fast they could get from one end of town to the other. I heard they play games like that at the tax payers expense. They will never be good enough for you will they?
Rod in Chelsea
Fri, Jan 7, 2011 : 9:04 p.m.
The cops in Chelsea are nothing like they used to be. They are unfriendly and arrogant. A lot of times reverting to being pure jerks. This one should have been more cautious. Had this been a citizen of Chelsea, they would have ticked them in a New York Second!! He should get one also for failure to have his vehicle under control. If we could get the Chief MacDougals back on the force, Chelsea would once again be a friendly place to live. Pawky, get a grip. You obviously have not been victimized by these non caring arrogant Chelsea cops.
pawky
Thu, Jan 6, 2011 : 9:25 p.m.
He must have been going too fast - unless it was the burglar alarm at your house, of course. They shouldn't chase anyone either, unless it is to catch those who victimized you. Give him a ticket? Give it a rest. These stories always bring out the cop-haters.
fishjamaica
Thu, Jan 6, 2011 : 2:32 p.m.
Was it a false alarm? was there an adress for the burglary or did he just here a ringing noise? These short articles leave more questions than they answer.
nonyo
Thu, Jan 6, 2011 : 1:09 p.m.
Driving too fast for the road conditions? Was the officer ticketed?
Forever27
Thu, Jan 6, 2011 : 11:31 a.m.
any word as to where the call was that the officer was responding to? I've seen far too many police cruisers in Chelsea go flying down Main Street at night without their emergency lights on just because they can. I'm not saying that this case is an example of that, but without information of the "burglary" it leads one to speculate.