Sheriff investigating home invasion

Officers from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are investigating a home invasion that occurred last week in Park Township.

Investigators said access was gained Thursday to a residence in the 54000 block of Wilbur Road through an unlocked door. Prescription medications, coins and a large amount of jewelry were stolen from the residence.

Man robbed in own home

A Constantine man was duct-taped to a chair and his residence ransacked during an armed robbery over the weekend.

Constantine Chief Jim Bedell said two subjects at 10 p.m. Sunday knocked on the door at a residence in the Whispering Pines mobile home community. The victim answered the door and was forced by the two suspects to a chair.

The suspects, who wore ski masks and gloves, then ransacked the residence and stole gold coins and several $50 and $100 bills, Bedell said, adding that the suspects also displayed a black handgun.

Sewer overflow stopped

The sanitary sewer overflow into the St. Joseph River that began last week has been stopped, according to the city of Three Rivers Department of Public Services and its Waste Water Treatment Plant.

City crews were able to access the location Monday morning to make the confirmation.

Pipe-flow capacity analysis and discharge estimates are still being calculated, but currently indicate the overflow stopped around 10 p.m. Wednesday last week, three days after the situation was initially detected.

A final written report will be submitted to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality detailing the estimated volume of discharge, specific timeline of events, actions taken to reduce the impact of the discharge and actions that will be taken to reduce the occurrence of future discharge.

Teens injured in crash

Three Colon teens were among five people injured in a single-vehicle crash over the weekend in Colon Township.

Investigators said it appears alcohol and excessive speeding were potential factors contributing to the 4 a.m. Sunday crash on Wattles Road. A department media release indicated the vehicle was being driven west on Wattles Road when it veered off the roadway and struck a tree.

All five occupants were transported from the scene either by ambulance or medical helicopter.

The sheriff’s department said Colon residents Jadalyn Riechart, 18, suffered several fractures and is in fair condition; Tanner Cook, 18, is in fair condition with no report of his injuries listed; and Samantha Carr, 17, is critical with swelling on her brain.

Jesse Bowen, 22, of White Pigeon, is in fair condition and 18-year-old Sturgis resident Taylor Farmer was treated and released from Sturgis Hospital.

A grief counselor is expected to be at Colon High School today, sheriff’s officials said.

2013 Liberty Bell Award

The Day Reporting Center was announced as the recipient of the 2013 Liberty Bell Award, an honor bestowed annually since 1985 by the St. Joseph County Bar Association.

Its program director, Anthony Callaway, and the agency’s five-member staff will be recognized during a ceremony at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the St. Joseph County Courthouse.

The Liberty Bell Award is presented to a non-lawyer, individual, or organization within St. Joseph County who has made an outstanding contribution to the community in one of five areas.

The Day Reporting Center opened in Three Rivers in January 1999 as a program of the Twin County Community Probation Center. In 2011, the Day Reporting Center expanded to open a satellite office in the old Sturgis Journal building on West Chicago Road in Sturgis.

The Day Reporting Center also provides programming for the Community Corrections Advisory Board, including anger management classes for men and women; embezzlers’ treatment group; alcohol-and-drug awareness classes; and provides space for substance abuse treatment and service providers.

Injuries sustained from crash

Cass County Sheriff Joe Underwood Jr. said his deputies handled a two-car, personal-injury crash on Calvin Center Road, near Chain Lake Street in Calvin Township over the weekend.

The incident occurred around 7 p.m. Saturday, when a vehicle driven by 57-year-old Wayne Barber Jr., of Cassopolis, was traveling north on Calvin Center Road and a southbound vehicle driven by 52-year-old Dowagiac resident Delbert Wilson crossed into his lane and collided.

Barber was taken to South Bend Memorial for treatment ; Wilson, his 52-year- old wife and 23-year-old daughter were transported to Elkhart General Hospital for their injuries.

Seat belts were worn at the time of the crash.

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