By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Oakland Cty. — After more than 37 years in public service a local fire investigator has retired.
Det. Howard ‘Chip’ Schultz, who investigated more than 700 fires in Oakland County stepped down earlier this month.
A 1986 Ferndale High School graduate, Schultz was first employed at ParaMed Inc, and later earned Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Medical licenses. Schultz also served as a member of both the Springfield and Groveland Township Fire Departments for many years.
Schultz started with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office in 1999 as a correction officer and was later promoted to supervisor. In 2003 he attended the police academy and served on road patrol in Orion, Independence and Addison townships from 2004 to 2007.
Schultz later served for two years as the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Milford School Resources Officer. In February 2009, Schultz was promoted to the Oakland County Fire Investigating team.
“It’s about finding the origin and cause,” said Schultz, a Goodrich resident, who served 15 years on the team. “Fire investigations are very difficult when often you’re left with nothing to look at, just ashes. The most difficult aspect is proving arson through the prosecutor’s office.”
“The job was one big puzzle,” he said. “You get better at it over time, but you just can’t get them all. You really need to have a strong passion for the job, and it’s geared toward those with a background in firefighting and law enforcement.”
Schultz was honored in 2020 for his work with the Oakland County Sheriff’s SWAT Team that responded to an incident on Feb. 27 in Royal Oak where an armed man barricaded himself in his home.
In 2021 Schultz was honored for solving a series of arson fires in Royal Oak and Troy. The fires affected cars, homes and businesses in both communities. The investigation resulted in a prison sentence for the defendant.
Detectives Tom Bisio and Schultz both received “Investigator of the Year” awards from the Michigan Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators during the group’s annual banquet in Lansing.
“It’s fulfilling to get an arrest and a good conviction,” said Schultz,
Bisio, a 25-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, and Schultz, who worked with several other police departments to solve the series of arson fires between 2015-2019.
“I am super proud of our investigative team that works on fire investigations as well as our partnership with other police agencies in ensuring those that start arson fires are held accountable,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Thomas Elliott Manes, 36, of Troy, was convicted of multiple felonies including arson, breaking, larceny and using a gun during a felony. The fires included a shed, garage and several vehicle fires in a small radius of one another in the northeast section of Royal Oak.
“It was an intense investigation,” said Schultz. “We often went door-to-door speaking with residents. The case had a lull for a while and then the suspect was caught on camera in Troy. There was no true motive.”
Manes pleaded guilty to eight of 14 counts and is currently serving 10-40 years in prison.
In 2022, the Sheriff’s Distinguished Unit Citation was awarded to the Fire Investigation Unit of Detective Schultz; Detective Thomas Bisio of Howell, and Detective Trevor Sanford, a 25-year veteran also of Goodrich. The Unit accepted posthumously on behalf of Detective Robert Loken E.O.W. (end of watch) Jan. 7, 2022.
“It’s an honor to serve the community,” said Schultz. “We also accept this award also for Bob Loken. He was not only a great partner for three years but an outstanding individual that gave back way more than he ever received. His kindness and professionalism on and off duty will be missed.”
In 2021 the Fire Investigations Unit assisted more than 29 law enforcement and fire service agencies, conducting 138 investigations, with five of them being fatal fires. The unit obtained 21 warrants, made seven arrests with successful convictions, and 12 cases are pending at that time.
While not on duty, Schultz was elected to the Goodrich School Board in 2011 and served until 2021.
Schultz will stay busy in retirement as the General Manager of the Michigan Renaissance Festival, owner of Poppa’s Noodz Food Truck and Real Estate sales.