State Rep. Neil Friske arrested in Lansing after police respond to reports of man with gun
A sitting Michigan lawmaker was arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning in Lansing after police say they responded to reports of an adult male with a gun and possible shots fired.
State Rep. Neil Friske, R-Charlevoix, was arrested around 2:45 a.m. in the 2000 block of Windbreak Lane in Lansing and remained in custody Thursday, Lansing Police Public Information Director Jordan Gulkis confirmed to the Free Press. In a statement posted to Friske's Facebook page, his campaign called the arrest "highly suspect."
Gulkis said LPD officers were dispatched initially to the nearby 2100 block of Forest Road to respond to reports of a male with a gun, "as well as possible shots that were fired," she said over email.
Friske was arrested "for a felony-level offense" after officers made contact. Additional investigation remains ongoing, Gulkis said. LPD expects to present the case to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office for review Friday.
Should any charge be filed, Gulkis said an arraignment would take place Friday or Saturday.
"This morning, it was brought to our attention that Representative Friske was arrested and being held," read a statement attributed to Friske's campaign. "As many of us know, Rep Friske is always exercising his 2nd Amendment right. We do not have any details, besides what the media sourced, oddly before anyone of us knew anything."
Friske faces a Republican primary challenger this August, Parker Fairbairn, in the 107th House District. Friske's campaign said the arrest is "highly suspect" given absentee ballots for the August primary are set to be made available later this month.
In a statement, Fairbairn said Friske deserves to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and said he was running against Friske because of his voting record.
“Neil deserves his time in court, and the people of the 107th District deserve better than Neil," Fairbairn said.
Lansing-based political publication MIRS News first reported Friske's arrest.
Friske is a first-term Republican lawmaker representing Michigan's 107th House District, which covers all of Charlevoix and Emmet counties and portions of Cheboygan, Chippewa and Mackinac counties, spanning across both peninsulas. He has filed for reelection and is seeking a second term in the House this fall. He is the owner of Friske and Sons Property Management, according to his website.
He's also considered one of the more conservative members of the Legislature and is part of the House's Freedom Caucus. The caucus describes itself as "focused on traditional conservative values and individual liberty."
A spokesperson for House Republican Leader Rep. Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, did not immediately return a message seeking comment Thursday morning.
Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan lawmaker Neil Friske arrested in Lansing early Thursday
