Police

Mendon woman dies when vehicle goes into river

A Mendon woman died Thursday after the vehicle she was driving left the roadway and plunged into the Fawn River. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies were called shortly after 7 a.m. to Constantine Road at the Fawn River bridge, located on the border of Constantine and Florence townships. Lillywhite said the vehicle, a 2007 Jeep Liberty, was found upside down …

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Man to be arraigned on murder charges in slaying of parents

A 27-year-old man has been charged with murder in the slayings of his parents whose bodies were found in a wooded area in western Michigan. Nicholas Johnson was expected to be arraigned Thursday in Kalamazoo County District Court. Gary and Laura Johnson went missing earlier this month. Their bodies were unearthed Friday at Gourdneck State Game Area in Portage, about …

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Indiana Toll Road reopens after deadly crash, spill cleanup

Police say a deadly overnight truck crash along the Indiana Toll Road closed the tollway for several hours as crews cleaned up a chemical that spilled from a tanker it was hauling. State police say the truck’s driver, 35-year-old Omar Pleasont of Portage, Indiana was pronounced dead at the scene of Thursday night’s crash in LaGrange County, just south of …

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Police: Michigan man backed van into Indiana fire department building

A Michigan man is accused of backing a van into a northern Indiana city’s fire department building after he first tried unsuccessfully to crash it into a nearby police building. James Campbell of Edwardsburg, faces felony charges of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, auto theft and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, The Elkhart Truth reported Campbell, 34, was …

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Police: Newly found blood sample solves 1988 homicide

Police said they solved the murder of a Battle Creek woman more than 30 years later, after a newly discovered blood sample connected a man to the fatal stabbing. But no charges will be filed because Roger Plato was killed in 1988, three days before Gayle Barrus’ body was found by hunters in Calhoun County, prosecutor David Gilbert said. Nonetheless, …

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Branch County – Mother dies, husband and 5 children hurt after buggy crash

A woman has been killed and her husband and five children hurt after the horse pulling their buggy veered in front of a pickup truck in Branch County. Barbara Jo Schwartz, 39, died at an Indiana hospital following the 8:50 a.m. Friday crash in Algansee Township, according to Branch County sheriff’s deputies. The family was thrown from the buggy which struck the fender of …

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Ice fisherman drowns in Lake Michigan in Upper Peninsula

A 64-year-old man drowned in a Lake Michigan bay when his off-road vehicle hit open water, authorities said. Edward Lester of Garden was at Big Bay De Noc, off Delta County, for ice fishing Thursday. Ice in the area was 4 to 5 inches thick but “recent high winds caused the crack to open,” said Lt. Eugene “Skip” Hagy of …

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Cass County Deputy Saves Dog That Had Fallen Through the Ice

Sheriff Richard J Behnke reports that deputies of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call for help in the 56000 block of White Temple Road in Penn Township on Wednesday. The caller advised the Cass County Dispatch that a dog had fallen through the ice in a pond and was unable to get out. Deputy Taryn Shields responded …

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Small group of armed protesters dwarfed by police at Capitol

A small group of gun-toting demonstrators rallied Sunday outside of Michigan’s Capitol building near a sizable presence of law enforcement officers on high alert after this month’s deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol. About a dozen protesters openly carried guns, including some who promoted the anti-government “boogaloo” movement, a slang term adopted by the pro-gun extremist movement that is a reference to …

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Guard activated at Michigan Capitol amid increased security

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer activated the National Guard, the state police continued to augment its presence at the Capitol and crews installed a 6-foot, chain-link fence around the 142-year-old building before expected protests ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. The Legislature on Friday also canceled session next week, citing law enforcement’s concerns about “credible threats regarding events” at the Capitol. Michigan …

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