Three Rivers commissioner arrested, county prosecutor’s office declines charges
A clerk with the prosecutor’s office stated that assault and battery charges were declined, and no arraignment was held Monday.
The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office has declined assault and battery charges for Three Rivers City Commissioner Lucas Allen.
Allen was arrested Sunday for an alleged incident and released Monday from custody in the county jail. Because the charges were declined, no arraignment was held Monday, and no complaint was filed.
Watershed Voice first contacted the jail shortly after 8 a.m. Monday. A booking officer said no information would be available until after an arraignment. The officer also said arraignment times are set by the court, but generally happen in the early afternoon. Later in the day, Watershed Voice contacted the jail again. After receiving no response, the Three Rivers Police Department was contacted.
Deputy Chief of Police Sam Smallcombe said Monday that Michigan State Police (Marshall Post) responded to the Allen complaint. The TRPD was responding to an accident at the time. Because Watershed Voice did not have a number for the Allen incident report, the Marshall Post declined to provide it. Smallcombe said the Three Rivers Police department and Marshall Post have different sets of records, meaning he would be unable to provide the report number.
From there, Watershed Voice contacted the county prosecutor’s office. A clerk there said the charges against Allen were for alleged assault and battery but they were declined, and that there was no arraignment. As of Monday afternoon, a call to outgoing Prosecuting Attorney David Marvin had not been returned.
Allen, elected to the Three Rivers City Commission in 2022, was responsible for several outbursts and expletive-laden threats during a commission meeting less than six months later. He was subsequently censured and made a public apology. Watershed Voice first reported on Allen’s previous run-ins with law enforcement in 2021, when he was a write-in commission candidate. Allen is the son of former St. Joseph County Commissioner and County Undersheriff Dennis Allen.
Frank Stanko is a staff writer for Watershed Voice. Alek Haak-Frost is executive editor and publisher of Watershed Voice.
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