At 3:14 a.m. Sunday, Merrill police officers were dispatched to the area of Lake Street and East Seventh Street for a report of two males that were reported to be attempting to steal a stop sign.
The responding officers were able to hear two male subjects near a residence being loud and yelling. As the officers were in the area, they were able to hear one of the male subjects say that they get themselves intoxicated and then go and steal things, and proceeded to say they were going to find some more signs to steal.
As officers identified themselves and requested to speak to them in regards to the report of someone stealing signs, one of the male subjects fled the area on foot and engaged officers in a foot pursuit. The other male subject was detained at that point while the other officer pursued the other male subject.
As the officer pursued the male subject through the different yards in the neighborhood, the male subject fell and was warned by the pursuing officer not to get up or he would be tased. The male subject began getting up to try and continue fleeing from the officer which prompted the officer to deploy his electronic control device. The male subject was taken into custody.
Both male subjects eventually admitted to stealing the street sign, which was located in the basement of the one male subject’s residence. Both were booked into the jail on charges of disorderly conduct and theft, with the one male subject also being charged with resisting arrest.