Antrim County Business Owner Sent To Hospital After Scuffle With State Police

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“The next thing I know, I was down on the ground."

A longtime business owner is speaking publicly. He was sent to the hospital Friday after a scuffle with state police.

Eighty-three-year-old Larry Sevenski says on St. Patrick’s Day troopers were parked across from his restaurant.

His customers brought it to his attention, and he decided to go talk to police.

Then, things got physical.

Sevenski owns Larry’s Seven-Ski Inn in Elmira in Antrim County.

Michigan State Police say Friday night two troopers were parked at the corner of US 131 and Thumm Road on St. Patrick’s Day patrols.

Larry Sevenski says all he wanted to do was see if there was a problem, but their encounter ended with Sevenski in the hospital.

“I never believed this could happen,” says Sevenski.

Larry Sevenski has owned Larry’s Seven-Ski Inn on US 131 in Elmira for more than 50 years.

Friday night they were busy for St. Patrick’s Day.

“I remember that somebody told me that the police were watching the bar, so I went out to talk to them, to try to find them,” explains Sevenski.

Sevenski drove across US 131 to Thumm Road. Michigan State Police say that’s when they saw him make a U-turn without using his signal and pulled him over.

“They said I couldn’t talk to them. I was breaking some kind of law, I don’t know. It got crazy, all at once,” says Sevenski.

Police say Sevenski got out of his car and disobeyed the trooper’s commands.

“The subject then grabbed ahold of the trooper’s wrist and proceeded to make a fist in an assaultive motion. At that point, the trooper initiated his defensive tactics techniques and brought the subject to the ground,” says 1st Lt. Mark Harris, Michigan State Police Gaylord Post.

Sevenski says he just wanted to talk to the troopers.

“They handcuffed me, and they hurt very bad because I have a reversed shoulder and I can’t put my arm behind my body,” explains Sevenski. “Everybody’s worried about me. I’ve been worried about me, too. Just don’t know what I did wrong.”

Lt. Harris says, “If he would have complied with the orders of the trooper, got back in the car and not become aggressive and assaultive, he would not have ended up on the ground.”

Sevenski was taken to the hospital Friday night with a broken nose and underwent surgery on his arm.

The Antrim County prosecutor is reviewing a report for charges of assault and resisting and obstructing a police officer.

Sevenski was given a traffic ticket for not using his turn signal.