Off-road and out of control at Syndicate Park: Cops arrest drunken man after seeing him drive a four-wheel vehicle recklessly in critical dunes area of South Haven Township

Andrew Lersten

SOUTH HAVEN -- Drunk. Belligerent. Reckless. Combative.

Those were some of the "qualities" that police said led them to arrest a West Chicago man on numerous criminal charges Friday night at the Syndicate Park subdivision in South Haven Township.

Police observed the 39-year-old driving a four-wheel off-road vehicle in the critical dune area in a reckless manner with a small child on his back shortly before 11 p.m., Van Buren County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Matthews said.

The man fled when police approached.

Police found the abandoned vehicle behind a house. Then they saw the suspect running out of the woods toward the vehicle and chased him down. The man fought with police and was subdued with a Taser, Matthews said. He was charged with a long list of offenses, including drunken driving, child endangerment, resisting and obstructing police, not wearing a helmet and trespassing. He was taken to the county jail in Paw Paw.

Reckless off-road vehicle activity at Syndicate Park along Lake Michigan has been the focus of recent stepped-up police patrols there in response to numerous citizen complaints about the activity.

The Van Buren County Board of Commissioners this week announced it will seek $159,929 in state funds to restore critical dune areas damaged by the vehicles in Syndicate Park. The county owns much of the dune areas there.

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