NEWS RELEASE
MICHIGAN STATE POLICE
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On Saturday, December 23, 2023, at approximately 6:15 p.m. a trooper from the Michigan State Police (MSP) Traverse City Post was called to a business parking lot on N Benzie Boulevard in Beulah. The caller stated a red truck had been parked with a person appearing to be sleeping in the middle of the parking lot for almost two hours.
The trooper arrived and found the vehicle running, with the headlights on, parked in the middle of the parking lot, but not in a parking space. The driver was slumped over the center console and there was an uncapped syringe and rubber tourniquet on the armrest. The trooper attempted to wake the man up. Emergency medical services were called to the scene. Liss eventually began speaking with the trooper, but he refused medical treatment when EMS arrived.
The man was identified as 42-year-old Paul Liss from Grawn. Liss’ eyes were constricted, and his speech was slow. The trooper observed a butane torch inside the vehicle. A further search revealed a double edged non-folding knife, Alprazolam pills, 50 used and unused syringes, several more torches, a spoon with burn marks, cotton swabs, a digital scale, a white transparent crystal that tested positive for methamphetamine, and a piece of folded paper with a substance that tested positive for heroin.
Liss was placed under arrest and lodged in the Benzie County Jail. Liss was arraigned in the 85 th District Court in Benzie County on one count Possession Methamphetamine, one count Possession Heroin less than 25 grams, one count Possession Analogues, one count Carrying a Concealed Weapon, and Habitual Offender. His bond was set at $250,000 cash only. The trooper was assisted at the scene by deputies from the Benzie County Sheriff’s Office.
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