Police

Battle Creek to prohibit holding phone while driving

Driving while holding a cellphone soon will be illegal in one southern Michigan city. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that a new ordinance goes into effect Friday in Battle Creek, but police don’t plan to ticket drivers — just yet — for typing, scrolling or talking on phones without the use of hands-free devices. City officials say enforcement will start …

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Man dies trying to get daughter’s dead cat out of roadway

Authorities say a Michigan man was fatally struck by a car while trying to remove his daughter’s dead cat from a roadway before she saw it. Saginaw County sheriff’s officials say 50-year-old Andrew Rosas of Merrill was struck before sunrise Tuesday by a woman who was driving to work and apparently didn’t see him. Investigators say Rosas was wearing dark …

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Rural Three Rivers woman locked out of home, dies in cold

A 90-year-old Fabius Township woman died last week after she was locked out of her house and froze to death. Authorities said the body of Ada Salna was found around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday on the steps of her home on Kurzeme Road, in the vicinity of Long Lake. Pathologist Joyce deJong said Salna died of hypothermia. Investigators said Salna had …

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Statement from Cass County Sheriff

Sheriff Richard J. Behnke advises that stuck vehicles blocking plows and current road conditions in Cass County are making travel unsafe.    Cass County area is experiencing near-blizzard conditions.  Frequent whiteouts, resulting in slide offs and stuck vehicles are causing dangerous road conditions for traveling emergency crews and road commission plows, in addition to record low wind chills and temperatures adding to life …

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Officer who fired at car is acquitted of gun charge

A southwestern Michigan police officer who fired five shots at a stolen car has been acquitted of reckless discharge of a gun. A jury in Van Buren County returned the verdict Friday. Chelsey Omilian was a Mattawan officer in November 2017 when she fired at a Chevrolet Impala. A woman inside the car was injured. Omilian’s lawyer says she fired …

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Friday night crash in Cass County

Ice was cited as the culprit of a two-vehicle accident over the weekend in Cass County’s Penn Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called shortly before 11 p.m. Friday to the intersection of M-60 and Calvin Center Road. Investigators said Noe Herrero, a 58-year-old Elkhart resident, was unable to stop his vehicle on Calvin Center Road due to the …

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Burglary suspects arrested in Cass County

Two Calvin Township residents suspected of being involved in a number of burglaries throughout the area have been arrested by deputies from the Cass County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Richard Behnke said a large quantity of stolen property was recovered from an address on Brownsville Road after the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team and deputies executed a search warrant related to …

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Fatal crash in Cass County

A Niles man died on icy roads earlier this week in Cass County’s Milton Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called to a three-car accident shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. 12 near Frantz Drive. Investigators said Ryon Koth, a 31-year-old Niles resident, was driving east on U.S. 12 when he lost control of his vehicle. It crossed into …

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Shoplifting suspect arrested in Sturgis

Sturgis police arrested a 35-year-old Vicksburg man after he attempted to leave a business without paying for several video games. According to a department media release, officers responded at 4 a.m. Tuesday to Meijer on South Centerville Road regarding a theft-in-progress. Store security told police the same man earlier in the week was seen concealing items and not paying for …

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Local woman injured in crash

A Three Rivers woman was injured in a multi-vehicle accident Tuesday morning in Three Rivers. Sheriff’s department deputies were called at 10:10 a.m. to the intersection of U.S. 131 and Broadway Street. Investigators said a southbound car driven by an 87-year-old woman from Three Rivers turned left onto eastbound Broadway in front of a semi driven northbound by a 73-year-old …

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