Tom Thelen

Lansing State Journal

ST. JOHNS - A St. Johns police officer has been honored for what officials say was a split-second decision that saved a suspect from serious injury or death.

Officer Chad Pierson was honored last month with a departmental citation for his role in apprehending a man wanted in connection with a stabbing incident in Elsie in January.

Pierson was one of several officers who responded to a report of an Elsie woman who was stabbed on Jan. 6. The woman told officers she was stabbed by her ex-boyfriend and that he had fled. Pierson and Officer Mike Brown, along with members of the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, began a search of the area.

Pierson confronted the suspect, later identified as Nicholas Allen Shultz, in a wooded area following a 20-minute chase. Shultz, police said, pulled his right hand from his pocket and lunged towards Pierson. Pierson noticed that the object in Shultz's hand was a pill bottle and did not fire his gun.

St. Johns Police Chief Kyle Knight said Shultz attempted a "suicide by cop."

"Following his arrest the suspect admitted to using this tactic in an attempt to get the officer to shoot him," Knight said. "But Chad showed great restraint."

"He made a good decision and brought a positive light to law enforcement. He proved that we don't always pull the trigger when we could."

Shultz, 20, faces a charge of attempted murder in connection with the stabbing. He is being held on a $500,000 bond.

Shultz's attorney, Ron Zawazki, declined to comment.

Pierson credits the training that he has received for helping make the decision.

"My thoughts were to keep my eyes on his hands and identify what was coming out of his pocket," Pierson said. "It seemed like it was in slow motion and I was processing a lot of information quickly.

"The last thing that I want to do is take anyone's life. But you have to understand that as a realistic possibility when you take this job. I am proud of how things turned out regarding the incident and I'm honored to represent the department and the city," Pierson said.

Knight said he plans to nominate Pierson for an award through the Michigan Association of Police Chiefs for his actions.

The department also presented officers Ben Helms and Matt Dedyne with individual commendation awards for their efforts and drug enforcement, prevention and education.

Helms has handled over 100 narcotic cases since 2011 and often works with Tri-County Metro Narcotics on cases in the St. Johns area. He also teaches Project Alert drug prevention courses to seventh-grade students at St. Johns Middle School.

Dedyne was recognized for his enforcement efforts that resulted in the seizure of over 80 marijuana plants, nearly two pounds of marijuana, one ounce of meth and an active meth lab. One of his investigations solved a breaking and entering at one of the local businesses.

A committee that included Knight, Lt. Robert Wilkie and Sgt. Eric Worrall selected the officers for the honors.

Knight said is pleased with the efforts of all of the officers on the department.

"All 10 of us graduated from St. Johns High School and take great pride in our community," Knight said. "They are a cohesive unit that works to provide the best services to residents."

Contact Tom Thelen at 377-1097 or tthelen@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomThelen_LSJ