Upper Great Lakes News, Music, and Arts & Culture

UP sheriff urges public to call for better mental health services

Keweenaw County Sheriff's Office

EAGLE RIVER, MI (AP)--   The sheriff of Michigan’s smallest county is making a public plea for more mental health services after a young driver smashed a car into trees to try to end his life.

A Facebook post, with a photo of the crumpled car, has been shared more than 6,000 times this week. That's more than three times the population of Keweenaw County.

The young driver survived the crash and was sent home with a “safety plan.” Sheriff Curt Pennala says, “This does not sit well with us!” The sheriff says he's not knocking Copper Country Mental Health Services.

Pennala says the public must demand a meaningful discussion about Michigan's “broken mental health system.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.