A 36-year-old Hersey man caused chaos at a Mecosta County graduation party Saturday afternoon, wielding a machete before police subdued him on the lawn of the sheriff's office, authorities said.
The mayhem started around 2 p.m. at the Green Charter Township Hall in Paris when the suspect, whose name is being withheld pending arraignment, used the machete to smash his way through the front door’s glass and barged into the ongoing celebration. Troopers from the Michigan State Police Mount Pleasant Post and deputies from the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene. The intruder allegedly began brandishing the blade and proclaimed, "everyone was going to hell", as recounted by WPBN/WGTU.
Quick-thinking guests used a chair to push the machete-man out of the building. He then fled to the nearby Sheriff's Office where a corrections officer confronted him, leading to more threats from the machete-wielding man, FOX 17 reported. Reinforcements from the Big Rapids Police Department arrived, and the officers were able to safely subdue and detain the man.
Though the incident ratcheted tension at the party, and later at the sheriff's office, no injuries were reported. The suspect is currently held in the Mecosta County Jail awaiting multiple pending felony charges. The Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the confrontation involving their officer, while Michigan State Police is handling the investigation related to the graduation party chaos, as stated by News Channel 3.
