Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Howell Police report a man is in custody for using an axe to smash the windows of patrol cars outside the department's headquarters Saturday afternoon.

According to a press release, officers and deputies from the Hamburg Township Police Department and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist with a search of the area using drones and a canine.

The search was unsuccessful, however, a good description of the suspect was obtained from surveillance video as well as neighboring Ring cameras.

At approximately 5:30 PM on the same day, the suspect turned himself in at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office. He admitted to the damage and was taken into custody. He was wearing the same clothing observed in the video.

There was damage to 3 Howell Police Department patrol units as well as the Code Enforcement vehicle. The damage consisted mainly of broken glass.

The press release went on to say "it is imperative to highlight a couple of points with this incident. The suspect in this incident, who is currently lodged at the Livingston County Jail, is well known to local law enforcement. The suspect suffers from clear mental health issues, and assistance has been attempted by more than one agency within this county, for this individual, via Community Mental Health. Additionally, contrary to propaganda and misinformation that continues to be spread on social media, this had nothing to do with the placement of the patrol units nor the construction taking place in City Hall."

"In May of this year, the Howell Police Department moved to the second floor of City Hall and as a result, different building access is used by the officers. Due to that, the patrol units were moved to the southeast side of the building. There has never been an enclosed area for the patrol units. The units that were damaged were moved to a secure location at the DPW building in order to prevent any access to the interior components of the vehicles, as well as to prevent any potential weather damage. With the help of our officers and DPW staff we were able to swiftly facilitate the move of the patrol cars, as well as clean the parking lot and sidewalk of broken glass and debris."

"The Howell Police Department, being the first accredited agency in Livingston County, takes pride in the performance of dedication of its staff. This is a department that is transparent in its activities as shown through monthly reports and continuous accreditation reporting. The department is also always open and receptive to conversation regarding issues but does not utilize social media as a source of defense of false information."