Detroit officer David Metzke testifies during trial of James Crumbley
(CBS DETROIT) - The trial of James Crumbley continued Tuesday, and a witness who didn't testify in his wife's trial was called to testify.
This witness was David Metzke, a Detroit police officer. He responded to the building where James and Jennifer Crumbley were located on the night of Dec. 3, 2021.
He said he was asleep, got a call to report to work, and learned that they were heading to a building where two fugitives had been located.
Metzke said that his car had around six other people in the vehicle he went in, and they arrived at the building at around midnight.
He told the prosecution several law enforcement authorities were at the building when he walked inside.
They began breaking down doors in the building and said the ram was used to get through the lock on the doors.
He said his team eventually got a ring with "100 keys" on it to unlock doors in the building on the second floor after doors were cleared on the first floor.
Metzke said his team was notified that the fugitives could be in a room on the first floor, so they returned to the first floor.
He said doors around that room had been breached, but that specific room hadn't. Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast asked if this was a loud process, and Metzke said yes.
Next, body camera footage was played in court, showing them getting into the room and taking the Crumbley parents into custody.
The cross-examination began, and Mariell Lehman, James Crumbley's defense attorney, asked Metzke about fugitive apprehension. Metzke said he receives information from his supervisors when to report to work. Lehman said he reports to work but has no knowledge of the information he receives, and Metzke said he believes that his supervisors don't lie to him.
Metzke said he was aware of the Oxford High School shooting but doesn't specifically recall knowing if the parents had been charged.
He clarified that he knew he was heading to the building for fugitive apprehension but didn't know what for until he entered the building.
Lehman said that when James Crumbley was being taken into custody, he wasn't yelling at law enforcement authorities. She said that it sounded like he was in pain. Metzke confirmed he wasn't yelling at authorities.
His testimony ended, and the court went on break for lunch.
