Courtesy Photo Jeremy Fischer appears in this undated photo provided by the Michigan State Police.

ALPENA ― A sticky substance that smelled like maple syrup led police to arrest Ossineke man Jeremy Fischer, 42, for malicious destruction of property, police reported Tuesday.

Troopers from the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post responded when a woman reported an argument with Fischer in the parking lot of a business on Werth Road on April 3.

When the woman’s car wouldn’t work after the altercation, she suspected Fischer had tampered with her vehicle while she and her boyfriend were inside the business.

Troopers noticed a sticky substance on the gas cap that smelled like maple syrup. A mechanic later confirmed that a gooey substance at the bottom of the tank had clogged the fuel pump.

Officers did not ask the mechanic to taste the substance to confirm that it was maple syrup, police said.

Alpena Police Department officers arrested Fischer on Thursday during a traffic stop. He was arraigned in Alpena’s 88th District Court on one count of malicious destruction of property costing more than $1,000.