Police: Suspect in custody following fugitive incident in Clinton County
VICTOR TWP. — Police said a fugitive was in custody on Thursday, a day after officers spent hours staged outside a residence in southern Clinton County in an effort to arrest him on warrants.
Danny Lee Valasek was still at large when officers left the area on Wednesday night, the Clinton County Sheriff's Office said in a news release posted to the department's Facebook page on Thursday afternoon. But the release included an update at the top saying, "The suspect is now in custody."
The release did not elaborate, and sheriff's officials did not return messages seeking comment.
Numerous officers from muliple departments were gathered at a home on Alward Road, between DeWitt and Laingsburg, on Wednesday and Wednesday night. Police initially said nothing about the incident but noted in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening they were "attempting to locate a wanted subject" and asked drivers to avoid the area,
“The wanted subject is believed to be contained to a residence and there is no known threat to the public at this time,” the sheriff's department said in the post.
Alward Road was closed between Chandler and St. Clair roads, north of Round Lake Road, and people were asked to avoid the area.
Deputies were working in frigid temperatures with sub-zero wind chill values. In an earlier Facebook post, the department thanked a St. Johns coffee shop for their assistance but released no information about the incident.
“This cold sucks, and it especially sucks when you are stuck out in it all day,” the department wrote. “Everyone on scene at the incident on E Alward Rd would like to SHOUT OUT A HUGE THANK YOU to ST JOHNS BIGGBY for all of the beverages they donated to help keep all of the guys and gals out there warm. THANK YOU ST JOHNS BIGGBY!!!!”
In Thursday afternoon's news release, officials said they were trying to arrest Valasek on "outstanding warrants." The sheriff's department's special operations teams and specialized resources from other agencies were brought in "based on history and prior contacts with the subject," the release said.
The operation ended as night fell, with Valasek still not in custody, it said. It was unclear how he came to be in custody.
Court records show Valasek had an open felony case in Clinton County District Court in which he failed to appear for a hearing last fall. Valasek was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, resisting or obstructing police and felony firearm possession following an arrest in DeWitt Township in February 2022.
He was found incompetent to stand trial on several occasions before being restored to competency last summer, the records indicate. A bench warrant was issued after Valasek, who was free on a $15,000 surety bond, failed to appear for a preliminary hearing in August, the records indicate.
An attorney listed for Valasek in that case could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday afternoon.
Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Police: Suspect in custody following incident Wednesday in Clinton County
