Court Watching: Armeka Thomas arraigned on 16 charges in Van Buren Township incident

Armeka Devonta-Marquis Thomas, 30, of Ypsilanti was video-arraigned Friday on 16 charges by 34th District Court Magistrate Al Hindman while in custody at the Van Buren Township Police Department.
His bond was set at $50,000 cash and a probable cause conference scheduled for Aug. 2.
Thomas is accused of committing the offenses on July 19 in Van Buren Township.
He is charged with:
• Possession of 50-449 grams of narcotic or cocaine;
• Three counts of possession of firearms by a felon;
• Three counts of possession of ammunition by a felon;
• One count of carrying a concealed weapon;
• Seven counts of felony firearm; and
• One count of assaulting / resisting / obstructing a police officer.
If he bonds out, he must have no firearms and be fitted with a GPS tether.
Michigan Department of Corrections lists him as a probation absconder from Ann Arbor/Washtenaw offenses of assaulting and fleeing a police officer.
In describing the arrest, Van Buren Township Deputy Chief Joshua Monte said officers arrested Thomas, at approximately 8 p.m. on July 19.
A Van Buren officer initially observed the vehicle Thomas was driving, traveling on Rawsonville near Grove and determined the vehicle was wanted out of Washtenaw County. An investigation was conducted in the parking lot of the Speedway gas station on Rawsonville Rd.
Deputy Chief Monte said Thomas, who was the driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, refused to show a driver’s license or comply with the officer’s orders. Thomas eventually exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. The officer pursued Thomas on foot catching and tackling him in the parking lot of the gas station.
Back-up officers, including deputies from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, arrived to assist as Thomas continued to resist arrest. He was eventually handcuffed after a brief struggle with officers. The Van Buren officer suffered minor injuries during the struggle to take Thomas into custody, Deputy Chief Monte said.
Monte said Thomas was found to be in possession of multiple loaded handguns, including a drum-fed, AR-style pistol. He also was in possession of a large quantity of cocaine, marijuana, amphetamine pills, oxycodone pills and hydrocodone pills, Monte said.
Thomas was charged as a habitual offender for his previous felony convictions.