MANISTIQUE — Law enforcement in Manistique handled an individual experiencing a mental health episode on New Year’s Day.

On Wednesday, Jan. 1, at roughly 4:16 p.m. the Manistique Public Safety Department was dispatched to the 100 block of North 4th Street for a report of an individual having a mental health episode. The individual’s family advised that the person was upset at himself and at one point grabbed a firearm. Officers decided to shut down the 100 block of North 4th Street to any vehicle or pedestrian traffic until further information about the situation could be determined.

Further investigation found that the individual, a 45-year-old man, had made no direct threats to anyone. The family advised that during the man’s mental health episode, he said that if police were called, he would provoke them to harm him.

After securing the scene, public safety made several attempts to communicate with the man. The man was seen moving about the residence with no sign of a firearm on his person. After attempting to communicate with the man and exhausting all options, it was determined that it would be best not to provoke a more serious situation by physically engaging with the individual.

The family agreed to allow the man to cope with the mental health episode without any outside provocation. Police cleared the scene and reopened the block at approximately 7 p.m.

Manistique Public Safety was assisted on scene by Sault Tribe Law Enforcement and Michigan State Police.