KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. – On October 9, 2025, Southwest Enforcement Team (SWET) detectives, along with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, Kalamazoo Metro SWAT, and Michigan State Police Fifth District troopers, executed a residential search warrant on Clato Street in Cooper Township tied to an ongoing stolen firearms and narcotics investigation.
During the operation, officers seized roughly a quarter pound of methamphetamine, heroin/fentanyl, and three firearms.
Three Kalamazoo residents were arrested on outstanding warrants:
• Scott Lapekas, 37 – Second-degree home invasion
• Rebecca Patterson, 37 – Failure to appear in Allegan County and Friend of the Court warrant in Kalamazoo County
• William Ray Cowper III, 31 – Parole violation (MDOC tether unit)
Additional charges are being sought for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and heroin/fentanyl, and maintaining a drug house against multiple individuals.
Authorities remind residents that anonymous tips regarding drug activity can be sent to msp-protect@michigan.gov or called in at 269-982-8664.
According to law enforcement, fatal overdoses in Southwest Michigan surpass deaths from car crashes and homicides combined each year. For help with substance use treatment, contact Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health at 800-781-0353.
SWET’s operations are funded in part through the Michigan HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) and the U.S. Department of Justice Byrne JAG Grant, administered by the Michigan State Police.
