Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Weapons recovered

WAKEFIELD - Members of the Michigan State Police Dive Team recovered three stolen firearms from Plymouth Mine Lake Sunday.

The firearms were recovered, stemming from a joint investigation by the MSP Wakefield Post and the Gogebic County Sheriff's Department. Last November, a string of breaking and enterings were reported in Gogebic County, and a suspect, Anthony Michael Adams, 32, of Ramsay, was arrested Dec. 9.

According to Det. Sgt. Jorge Cruz, Adams was arrested on charges of first and second degree home invasion and a felon in possession of a firearm. The investigation had been on-going for four months and after arraignment, Adams met with officers early last week to give up the location of the stolen firearms.

Cruz said "about 95 percent" of the items Adams had reportedly stolen have been recovered, with some unable to be retrieved.

The firearms, all long guns according to officials, included a 35-08 Winchester, .30-06 caliber and a .22 caliber. They were stolen with a gun locker and deposited in the lake, and according to Cruz, Adams showed them where he put the locker in the lake, as part of a plea agreement.

Sunday, the locker was located about six to seven feet from the shore in more than six feet of water. Cruz said weather helped quite a bit in the recovery effort.

"On Monday, when we were here, there was several more feet of ice," Cruz said. "The weather absolutely helped with this."

On Sunday, there was still ice on the lake, but not near the shore.

According to the dive team, the event was a success. Sgt. Steve Derusha, divemaster with the MSP Dive Team, said the team has traveled all over the state, and has "never had a dive like this."

"We have traveled from the Keweenaw to the Ohio boarder, and I have never had a dive like this," Derusha said. "We could look and see it from the shore."

The team trains once a month and is called out an average of two to three times a month. According to Derusha, each dive is different.

"Sometimes it's fast-moving water, and other times its still and deep," Derusha said. "Most of the time, it's cold and deep with very little visibility."

According to Lt. Don Horn, of the Wakefield Post, the recovery effort was "very successful."

"We had six officers, both troopers and sergeants, come from as far away as Gaylord," Horn said. "They travel anywhere they are needed. This dive was nice, because the item we were looking for was found almost immediately after they went into the water."

According to Cruz, the guns will be tagged as evidence, pending closure of the case.

"This was a great investigation, and everyone worked well together," Cruz said. "The MSP, Gogebic County Sheriff's Department and the (Gogebic County) Prosecutor's office worked extremely well together on this."

Adams is set to be in 32nd Circuit Court June 24 for sentencing.

 
 
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