Public Safety Director Thomas Atkinson reports the arrest of a 24-year-old male Dowagiac resident on several charges stemming from a traffic stop.

Tuesday evening a patrol officer for the Dowagiac Police Department conducted a traffic stop on East Division Street near Edwards Street for a violation.

The officer made contact with the driver and the passenger, then returned to his patrol vehicle to check the subjects for warrants and a valid driver’s status.

While doing so, the passenger exited the vehicle and began running between houses and through the neighborhood.

The officer gave chase on foot but lost sight of the subject. An off-duty Cass County sheriff’s detective was in the area and observed the suspect run into a house several blocks from the traffic stop.

Additional officers arrived at the residence and located the subject inside the residence, where he was taken into custody.

It was determined that the suspect did not live at this home and the elderly occupants were not familiar with the suspect who barged into their residence.

Police returned the suspect to the scene of the traffic stop. A search of the suspect vehicle utilizing the Dowagiac police canine unit located a large quantity of marijuana.

The suspect was lodged at the Cass County Jail for a bench warrant from a prior marijuana conviction, resisting law enforcement, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and first-degree home invasion. The suspect’s name was withheld pending arraignment.

This case remains under investigation.