Michigan sheriff's office offers 'Valentine's Day Special' for ex-lovers with warrants

Yahoo

14-02-2025

Friday is Valentine's Day and while that often means candy, roses, gifts and expensive dinners out, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office is offering a different take on the romantic holiday.
Its "special" includes a set of limited-edition platinum bracelets, free transportation with a chauffeur, a minimum one-night stay with "luxurious accommodations" and a professional glamour shot posted online. Dinner's included, too, according to a post on the office's Facebook page announcing the "2025 Valentine's Day Special."
But this "special" isn't just for anyone. It's aimed at folks with outstanding warrants or those suspected of crimes. The bracelets are handcuffs, the chauffeur is a law enforcement officer, the stay is at the lockup, and the glamour shot is well, you guessed it, a mugshot.
"Do you have an ex-Valentine with outstanding warrants? Do you have information that they are driving with drugs or weapons in the vehicle? Give us a call with their location and we will take care of the rest," the office's post reads. "This special is too sweet to pass up! Don't wait! Operators are standing by at 734-243-7070!"
Sheriff Troy Goodnough told the Free Press on Wednesday that he believes he brought the "Valentine's Day Special" to his department about three years ago after hearing about something similar done by other law enforcement agencies outside of Michigan.
He said he thought the idea was "kind of an interesting concept." Law enforcement is often serious, but this offers a little levity.
"It's my job to rewrite the narrative," Goodnough said, adding that it's also "my job as sheriff to be the voice for the victims. Let's hold these individuals accountable. We do it with a little laughter and fun."
Goodnough said the office hasn't kept statistics on the numbers of calls or arrests made through the "Valentine's Day Special" in prior years, but said it's going to try to do so this year. But, he adds, "we've always been very productive."
Anecdotally, he said, the office has had — and anticipates this year — at least a handful of calls from this effort and three to 10 arrests. There were more the first year it launched, he said. This year's "Valentine's Day Special" launched Tuesday and ends Sunday, he said, but the office will get calls afterward, too.
The one thing for folks to keep in mind is the effort is mainly for victims or suspects in Monroe County, the rural county sandwiched between the cities of Detroit and Toledo.
Goodnough says his office can't take calls, for example, about someone living in neighboring Wayne County or another county. He said his office will get calls about an ex-spouse living in the Upper Peninsula or Kent County, but it will direct callers to authorities there who can help them in those counties.
However, if someone lives in northern Michigan, for example, and there is a warrant for someone they know in Monroe County, he said, "we have the authority. We'll pick him up. We'd love to hear about (that)."
A quick online search Thursday showed that some other sheriff's offices and law enforcement agencies across the country are offering a similar "special" this year. Here's just a few examples:
In Guernsey County, Ohio, which is about 90 minutes east of Columbus, the sheriff's office, in a Facebook post about its "package" and "romantic getaway" stated: "Valentine's Day is creeping up faster than your ex's last text!" It ends: "Let's ensure your ex gets the love they deserve this Valentine's Day! Please turn in your tip and let's get this party started!"
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office in Florida posted on its Facebook page Thursday: "Love is in the air ... and so are some outstanding warrants! Know someone who deserves a special Valentine's Day tomorrow? Let us know anonymously! Our deputies are ready to deliver a memorable visit."
The Marlboro County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina offered a slightly different take in its Facebook post, showing wanted posters of people with outstanding child support warrants, and the Nueces County Sheriff's Office in Texas posted its top 10 most wanted list in a Facebook post.
Contact Christina Hall: [e-mail]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Monroe County Sheriff's Office: 'Valentine's Day Special' for exes