Thursday afternoon a deputy with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department was honored by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).
Sheriff Matt Hassel presented the award to Officer Andrew Wozniak as he gave some background on the reason for the award.
On September 2, 2017 at 3:15 in the morning, Officer Wozniak initiated a traffic stop on a 2000 Toyota in the area of US 30 and Tulip Road for a lane violation. The officer noted many strange circumstances with the traffic stop and had the Starke County K9 respond to the scene. The dog indicated the order of narcotics but no drugs were found in the vehicle although the officer discovered 15 new Apple Smart cell phones which were all turned on along with other suspicious items.
During the investigation Officer Wozniak received information which lead to him making contact with the Terrorist Screening Watch Center in Washington D.C.
After collecting the driver’s information he was released.
As Officer Wozniak continued his investigation he contacted the FBI in Philadelphia and eventually the FBI took the suspect into federal custody and deported him to his country of origin, Honduras.
Sheriff Hassel said, “Officer Wozniak was recognized for his outstanding assistance to the FBI in connection with its investigative efforts. Officer Wozniak was given a certificate of recognition from FBI Director Christopher A. Wray for his cooperation and immeasurable help to the representatives of the FBI.” He closed his comments by saying, “The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department would like to congratulate Officer Wozniak for his efforts and a job well done.”
