A LaSalle police officer conducting commercial property checks in the 1800 block of Front Road got quite the surprise early Wednesday morning.
Shortly before 1 a.m., while checking the rear of a business, the officer saw a man at the water’s edge of the Detroit River with two backpacks and a kayak.
The investigation determined the man was attempting to illegally enter Canada.
A 51-year-old U.S. citizen was detained and turned over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for further investigation.
"This is an outstanding example demonstrating that proactive police work can yield unintended positive outcomes," said police chief Michael Pearce.
"While conducting a simple property check, I’m confident our officer did not expect to find someone trying to illegally enter Canada. It is because of his proactivity that this act was discovered."