Shelby Township police arrest driver for concealed weapon, other violations

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — A 27-year-old man from Detroit was arrested and taken to the Shelby Township Police Department Aug. 14 after police said they found him in possession of a concealed weapon and multiple credit cards in other people’s names.

Officers from the Shelby Township Police Department’s directed patrol unit were on patrol in the area of Hall and Schoenherr roads when the officers observed a vehicle run a red light. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, which police said was driven by Christian McCalvin.

Officers were then given consent to search the vehicle, and that is when the directed patrol unit officers reportedly noticed that the center console appeared to be loose. Officers were able to remove the center console and reportedly found a hidden, fully loaded handgun and several credit cards all with different names on them that were not McCalvin’s.

McCalvin, 27, from Detroit, was arrested and taken to the Shelby Township Police Department. On Aug. 14, McCalvin was arraigned at the 41-A District Court in Shelby Township in front of Magistrate James VerPloeg.

McCalvin was arraigned on six different criminal counts, five felonies and a misdemeanor: carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, felon in possession of a firearm and driving while license suspended.

McCalvin was given a bond of $50,000 cash or surety.

According to court records, his next court date is to be determined.

“At this point, I'll say that the case will focus largely on the legality of the search and how the evidence was recovered. The vehicle where the evidence was … recovered does not belong to Mr. McCalvin and he maintains his innocence,” McCalvin’s attorney, Adam Gregory Clements, said in an email.

Sgt. Kevin Bailey, from the Shelby Township Police Department, said McCalvin gave no explanation of the gun or the credit cards.

“Our detective bureau is still investigating the credit cards and more charges may be coming after the investigation is complete. Shelby Township police (are) very proud of our officers, the fact that they were able to locate the gun in a hidden compartment just shows how diligent these officers work. I can’t say enough good things about our department and the officers that put their life on the line day in and day out to keep the citizens of Shelby Township safe,” he said via email.

Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide said he is “extremely proud” of the department’s directed patrol unit.

“This is another great example of DPU finding a loaded gun and getting it off the street and out of the hands of criminals,” he said in a press release.