Burglary suspect caught after K-9 team tracks him more than 3 miles from crash scene

BOSTON TWP. – A K-9 team tracked a suspect more than three miles from a swampy, Ionia County crash scene on Thursday night, helping investigators connect the man with crimes in at least two counties, police said.

Michael David Hancock, 45, of Hastings, was charged Friday with 14 counts, including home invasion, burglary and possessing stolen property, stemming from a vehicle chase and the tracking work by a police dog named Bafi, the Ionia County Sheriff's Office said.

Hancock was being held in the Ionia County Jail in lieu of a $150,000 cash bond, the agency said in a news release. Court records did not list an attorney for Hancock, and it was unclear if he has legal representation.

The chain of events began late Thursday night after a security system alerted a homeowner who was not home that a suspicious vehicle was parked behind his Boston Township residence.

A sheriff's deputy arrived to see a black SUV rolling away from the rear of the home and pursued the driver, officials said. The deputy later found the unoccupied vehicle in a swamp, where it had crashed.

The K-9 team tracked the suspect to a residence in Campbell Township, about 3½ miles from the crash scene, where Hancock was found hiding beneath a truck in a garage, officials said. A Kent County Sheriff's Office drone team helped in the search.

Deputies found stolen goods and a firearm in the crashed vehicle, which had been reported stolen from Battle Creek, officials said.

Michigan State Police, Kent County Sheriff's Office and Barry County Sheriff's Office assisted Ionia County deputies

Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Police nab burglary suspect after K-9 tracks him for more than 3 miles