Why was Neil Friske arrested in Michigan? Conservative lawmaker detained at 2:45 a.m. in Lansing
A conservative Michigan lawmaker was arrested in the early hours of Thursday, He will be arraigned on either Friday or Saturday. Here’s what is known.
Republican Michigan State Rep. Neil Friske missed the start of Thursday’s House session as he was still in police custody at the Lansing city jail. At 2:45 he was arrested near a home he owns in Lansing on the 2000 block of Windbreak Lane according to reporting by Michigan Information & Research (MIR) News.
The arrest of Friske was confirmed by Lansing Police Department to MIR, a Lansing-based political publication. The exact charges he is facing won’t be revealed until either Friday or Saturday when he is arraigned it’s reported. However, some details about why he was arrested have already come to light.
Why was Neil Friske arrested in Michigan?
According to initial reports, sources told MIR that Friske got into a disagreement with an adult dancer after which he chased her. The woman involved, works at Déjà Vu, an establishment in nearby South Lansing. Friske was also in possession of a gun at the time he was taken into custody according to those who spoke to MIR.
Who is Neil Friske?
Rep. Friske is a first-term Republican lawmaker who represents Michigan’s 107th House District which covers portions of both the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. His district includes all of Charlevoix and Emmet counties and portions of Cheboygan, Chippewa, and Mackinac counties.
A member of the House Freedom Caucus in the Michigan State Legislature, he is considered one of the most conservative lawmakers in the state. The owner of Friske and Sons Property Management has already said that he will run for re-election this fall.
There has been no comment so far from the lawmaker himself on his arrest. However he did take time to post a meme on X, formerly known as Twitter, about an hour after his arrest along with a message attacking his Republican opponent in the primaries.
His campaign however, did put out an official statement saying that they had no details about the arrest and because of that called into question the reporting. As well allege that there is some sort of conspiracy saying “it is highly suspect considering the timing of this situation.” It goes on to claim his opponent has “deep-state ties” and it comes right before absentee ballots are to be released.