A Virginia man is behind bars in Washington County on drug charges after claiming fake cops attempted to stop his vehicle and began shooting at him on Creek Road in Vernon last week.
Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call early Thursday morning, immediately dispatching deputies to a man who stated he had just been shot at. Shortly after the first call was received, other calls came in reporting the suspicious activity of a man standing in the middle of the road with an AR-15 style rifle in hand.
As deputies arrived on the scene, they were confronted by Michael Michaud, 49, of Chesapeake, VA. Michaud was standing in the middle of the road next to a Dodge van. He immediately stated to deputies the rifle leaning against the vehicle was not real.
Michaud, who said he was in town for court, began describing how he was stopped while traveling down Creek Road by two men, who he thought were fake cops. According to Michaud, they began shooting in his direction causing him to attempt to flee but his tires went flat. He then stopped and took a position outside of the vehicle with his rifle.
Deputies, unable to locate bullet holes in the vehicle or evidence of shots being fired, did observe damage to the driver’s side front wheel well from a shredded tire. The driver’s side rear tire was missing. Deputies reported it was evident the vehicle had traveled some time on the rim due to its condition.
Deputy K9 Axil was then deployed and alerted to the odor of narcotics and a search ensued.
Inside the vehicle, a backpack was found which contained two glass pipes with a small amount of marijuana, a set of digital scales, and a hypodermic syringe filled with methamphetamine. A glass pipe that tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine was located under the driver’s seat. In the front passenger compartment was a metal keychain that contained small plastic bags of marijuana seeds. Deputies then located a black briefcase in the back seat, which contained a .22 long rifle revolver, a glass pipe, and a plastic bag of methamphetamine.
A gallon sized bag of an unknown clear crystallized substance was also located in the vehicle, which will be sent to the lab for testing.
Michaud, a convicted felon, was taken into custody and booked into the Washington County Jail on the charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana less than 20 grams, possession of paraphernalia, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
If you have any knowledge of crimes being committed, or tips, please contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 850-638-6111. You may also contact us anonymously by calling 850-638-TIPS (8477) or by email at tips@wcso.us.