Arrest made in the curious case of the missing cabin in Kalkaska County
KALKASKA COUNTY — Michigan State Police announced they have made an arrest in the curious case of a cabin that was stolen from County Road 571 in Northern Michigan's Cold Springs Township.
This type of theft was a first for state and local law enforcement who were tasked with finding the missing structure.
"We've had people steal things from inside a building, but we've never had anyone steal an entire building," said Michigan State Police Public Information Officer Lieutenant Derrick Carroll.
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According to the owner, the theft of the 12x28 cabin occurred sometime between Nov. 18, 2021 and Dec. 16, 2021.
The Kalkaska-area cabin owner realized the theft just before Christmas of 2021 when they arrived on their property only to discover the building was completely gone.
On Feb. 16, 2022, the state police requested help from the public in investigating the theft.
The subsequent hunt sent troopers across the state, as they followed up on multiple tips from people of various cabins that matched the one in the original photo. Several search warrants were executed on cellular devices and many interviews followed, according to a release from Lt. Carroll.
Finally, 43-year-old Jeremy James Knoll from Kalkaska became a suspect when the cabin was located on his property during the execution of a search warrant. Knoll had attempted to conceal the cabin by erecting "large pieces of sheet metal around it as well as altering its appearance," according to the state police.
Troopers were ultimately able to make a positive identification by matching the serial numbers from inside the stolen structure.
An arrest warrant for Knoll was authorized on Dec. 27, 2022, and he was arrested on Jan. 1, 2023 and then lodged in Kalkaska County Jail. However, according to Lt. Carroll, Knoll may have not acted alone. The investigation continues and there may be more arrests to come.
Knoll was arraigned in the 87-B District Court in Kalkaska County for one count of receiving and concealing stolen property $1,000 - $20,000. He was given a $20,000 10 percent bond. His next scheduled court appearance is on Feb. 27.
The Michigan State Police would like to thank the public for their assistance in this case, Carroll said.
— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Arrest made in curious case of the missing cabin in Kalkaska County
