Missing Wisconsin man found, arrested at Sleeping Bear Dunes
From staff reports
UPDATE: A man reported missing from Milwaukee was located by officials at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Tuesday afternoon, August 20. Steven Lisowski, 28, of Wisconsin, was taken into custody about 2:30 p.m. ET after an altercation between Lisowski and police officers—according to a media release issued by the National Lakeshore.
Lisowski was reported critically missing by the Milwaukee Police Department on Sunday, August 18. A critical missing alert is used by the police department when an individual may be particularly vulnerable.
Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in searching for Lisowski beginning Sunday, August 18. A Sleeping Bear Dunes law enforcement park ranger spotted Lisowski in a car in the Shauger Hill area late Sunday, but Lisowski fled the park before park law enforcement officials made contact. The car was allegedly stolen.
Lisowski was located again in a wooded area off Shauger Hill Road within the park just after 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. A National Park Service law enforcement ranger and Benzie County Sheriff’s Office K-9 deputy approached him and saw what appeared to be a knife in his hand. Both officers deployed their department-issued electronic control devices, or tasers, without success.
As officers attempted to detain Lisowski, an altercation ensued before he was eventually restrained with the assistance of the Benzie County Sheriff’s Office police K-9. Lisowski and the two officers were transported to Munson Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries sustained during the altercation.
Charges against Lisowski are pending. He is expected to be booked in Grand Traverse County on August 21. The incident remains under investigation.
The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive was closed to visitors for approximately 15 minutes during this incident but reopened shortly after.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Yesterday evening around sunset on M-109 near Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, a park ranger with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore pulled over a vehicle stolen from Wisconsin. The driver, 28-year-old Steven Lisowski, abandoned the vehicle near Shauger Hill Road, fled into the woods, and has eluded rangers and deputies from three different northern Michigan sheriff’s departments since last night. He remains at large.
Law enforcement tracked Lisowski’s cell phone until late last night or early this morning, but no longer have a signal. Lisowski may have walked east, along the northern edge of Little Glen Lake, toward M-22 and the Glen Lake Narrows before the signal disappeared.
Police in Milwaukee contacted the Leelanau County Sheriff’s Department yesterday when the vehicle pinged near Empire. Leelanau sheriffs then alerted Sleeping Bear rangers.
According to the Milwaukee Police Department, Lisowski is described as approximately 6 feet tall and weighing 160 pounds. He has short brown hair, brown eyes, glasses and tattoos on both forearms. He was last seen wearing a purple-and-blue tie-dye shirt and khaki shorts. He reportedly fled Milwaukee in a Black 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan four-door with Wisconsin license plates.
Lisowski is considered critically missing. “Critical missing” is a label police apply to people who may be especially vulnerable due to a variety of factors. That could include being suicidal.
National Park officials have not been told or given any indication that Lisowski is considered dangerous.
The public is encouraged to call 911 if they witness anything suspicious or encounter Lisowski.
