A 51 year old Battle Creek man is in jail after he allegedly assaulted a Battle Creek Police Department detective with a collapsible baton on Thursday.  Police say Gary Lee Courtney, Jr. was seen in the parking lots around the Battle Creek Police Department at 34 N. Division St. about 4:30 p.m. Thursday making videos of vehicles.  They say Courtney had been inside the police station obtaining some paperwork earlier, and was making a video then.

A short time later, a 42 year old off-duty detective stopped to question the man and said he had to leave. The man refused and the detective said the man then began to video the detective's personal vehicle and his daughter, who was sitting inside. The detective said he told the Courtney, Jr. to stop taking video of the child and stepped in front of the camera. He says Courtney pushed him and then pulled what looked like a collapsible baton from his waist band. The detective rushed the man and said Courtney swung at the detective, hitting him in the side of the head, just before the two men went to the ground.

Other officers arrived and Courtney was taken to the nearby Calhoun County jail. Courtney, Jr., a convicted sex offender since 1996, was arraigned on Friday on charges of assault on a police officer, felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon.   His bond was set at $4,000.  Preliminary examination is scheduled for next month in Calhoun County District Court in October.  He faces up to 5 years on prison if convicted.

Gary Courtney, Jr.-MSP Sex Offender Registry
Gary Courtney, Jr.-MSP Sex Offender Registry
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