Delta County Sheriff's Office, MI

10/29/2026

On 10-28-26, at 4:15pm, Deputies were dispatched to Ford River for a possible domestic assault. Deputies arrived within 5 minutes and made contact with a victim with injuries. The victim was transported to OSF. The suspect, James Dahl, called stating he was suicidal and had guns. Deputies contacted the Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team for assistance. Because of the close proximity to M-35, traffic was rerouted away from the scene. The ES Team arrived on scene and cleared the residence. Dahl was later located at a different residence. Dahl was arrested and lodged at the Delta County Jail without incident. He was arraigned on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and interfering with electronic communications. Bond was set at $25,000. Deputies were assisted by the Michigan State Police, Escanaba Public Safety, Ford River Fire Dept and Mobile Medical Response.

10/12/2026

On Sunday, October 11, 2026, at approximately 12:40am, Deputies were dispatched to the intersection of I Rd and US-2 in Hyde for a two-vehicle crash. It was reported that a vehicle was on fire and occupants were entrapped. Upon arrival, Deputies discovered a truck was traveling on I Rd and failed to stop for the intersection at US-2, striking a passenger car traveling on US-2. During the crash, an 18-year-old female passenger was ejected from the truck and was later found deceased. After the crash, the alleged driver of the truck, later identified as 18-year-old Rielee Joseph Kobs, fled the scene on foot. The 18-year-old male driver of the car that was struck was transported to the hospital for injuries sustained in the crash.

After a lengthy, multiagency search, at approximately 8:40am on October 11, 2026, Kobbs was located under a bridge about two miles from the crash. Kobbs was treated for injuries and was lodged at the Delta County Jail. Kobbs has been arraigned on charges of Reckless Driving Causing Death, Reckless Driving Causing Serious Impairment of a Body Function and 2 counts of Failure to Stop at the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Serious impairment or Death. Bond has been set at $250,000.00. The crash remains under investigation.

The Delta County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Michigan State Police, Menominee County Sheriff’s Office, Hannahville Tribal Police, Escanaba Public Safety, Ford River Fire, Escanaba Fire, Rampart and Delta County Victim Services.

10/12/2026

10/01/2026

**UPDATE**
10/2/26 - 11:15am
This problem has been resolved and the Sheriff’s Office can now process applications for a License to Purchase a Fi***rm.

**NOTICE**
Due to an issue with the State of Michigan's License to Purchase a Fi***rm form, we are currently not accepting License to purchase applications at this time. The State is working on resolving the issue. We will give an update when the issue has been resolved.

09/17/2026

08/26/2026

SRO Deputy Kyle VanDrese is excited to start another school year as Delta County's School Resource Officer. Help us welcome Kyle back for his 4th year as SRO!

08/17/2026

The Rapid River High School will be the site of a multi-agency active assailant training exercise on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The training will be conducted by the Delta County Sheriff’s Office and will involve multiple local agencies working together to practice and strengthen their response to an active assailant situation.

The training is intended to improve coordination, communication, and emergency response capabilities among participating agencies and school personnel.

The public is advised that emergency vehicles and personnel may be present in and around Rapid River High School during the training period. This is a planned training exercise, not an actual emergency.

Rapid River High School and the Delta County Sheriff’s Office appreciate the community’s understanding and support as local agencies work together to enhance school and community safety.

06/23/2026

At 12:09pm today, Delta County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to US-2&41 near the Highland Golf Course for a two vehicle accident. Preliminary investigation revealed that a west bound vehicle driven by an 81 year old Escanaba man was stopped on the highway to make a left turn into the Golf Course. Another west bound vehicle driven by a 17 year old Gladstone woman failed to stop and rear ended the other vehicle. The 81 year old male was transported to the St. Francis ER where he later died from his injuries. The female driver was treated for minor injuries at St. Francis Hospital. Deputies were assisted by the Michigan State Police, Menominee County Sheriff's Office, Hannahville Tribal Police, Ford River Fire Department, Bark River Fire Department, Rampart EMS, Delta County Central Dispatch, Escanaba Public Safety, and the Delta County Road Commission.

05/15/2026

**SCAM ALERT***

Residents are advised to be aware of a phone scam currently circulating in which callers falsely claim to be from the Delta County Sheriff's Office and state that you have an active warrant or other legal obligation.

The Sheriff's Office will NEVER call you demanding payment to avoid arrest or clear a warrant. Scammers may request payment through gift cards, prepaid debit cards, cryptocurrency, or electronic payment apps. These are common fraud tactics.

If you receive one of these calls:
- Do not provide personal or financial information
- Do not send money or make payments
- Hang up immediately

Please share this information with family and friends to help prevent others from becoming victims of this scam.

05/13/2026

Congratulations to Zach Villeneuve on graduating from the police academy. Before going to the academy at Delta College, Zach started working at the Sheriff’s Office in the Corrections Division. We are proud of his accomplishments and are excited for him to start with the Road Patrol.