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Off-duty officers arrest suspect in Consumers Energy attempted arson

Posted at 1:36 PM, Jun 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-09 21:26:49-04
Joshua James Buchanan

Joshua James Buchanan

CALHOUN COUNTY, Mich. —  The Albion Department of Public Safety says two off-duty officers arrested the suspect in an attempted arson of a Consumers Energy facility.

Joshua James Buchanan was arrested at the public boat launch at Duck Lake, according to a Thursday Facebook post from the Albion Department of Public Safety.

The officers were at the boat launch to fish when they saw Buchanan and called the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department.

“Sheriff Deputies were in route to the boat launch, but when Buchanan started to leave the off duty officers identified themselves and took him into custody without incident. They placed him under arrest and held him till deputies could arrive and transport him to the jail,” the Facebook post says.

Consumers Energy employees in Battle Creek found two full gas cans with a small package next to them Wednesday morning at the substation on Elm Street just north of E. Michigan Avenue.   Investigators believe the package was intended to ignite the gas cans.

The bomb squad was called to the scene and used robots to separate and deactivate the device. The evidence is currently under investigation.