Government

A 17-year-old Colon boy faces multiple charges after he led police on a pursuit originating in St. Joseph County. St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said local police in Colon attempted to stop a Ford Mustang in the village for speeding and no valid registration at 8 a.m. Aug. 29. The suspect did not stop and continued driving into Branch …

A Sturgis man has been convicted of numerous charges stemming from an October incident that originated in Branch County. St. Joseph County Prosecutor David Marvin said Dylan Brand, 27, was found guilty by jury after a two-day trial in front of Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman. At mid-afternoon Oct. 22, Brand was armed with a stolen gun and fled from …

A suspect wanted on an unspecified warrant managed to elude authorities during a standoff with officers over the weekend in Three Rivers. According to a department media release, officers were called around 5:30 p.m. Saturday in response to a wanted suspect located in the 1200 block of Hov Aire Drive. Police said the suspect barricaded himself inside an apartment unit. …

A Coldwater man pleaded guilty to drug-related offenses during a recent proceeding in Branch County Circuit Court Judge Bill O’Grady said 27-year-old Dylan Tompkins pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver meth and aggravated stalking. Sentencing on the 20-year drug felony and five-year stalking charge will be Oct. 10. With charges stemming from five drug sales, Tompkins came to the …

A jury on Tuesday convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, a swift victory for prosecutors in a foiled plot that was described as a rallying cry for a U.S. civil war by anti-government extremists. Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were also found guilty of conspiring to obtain a weapon of mass destruction, namely a …

The process of how St. Joseph County will administer $1 million of its American Rescue Plan Act funds was discussed during the county commission’s executive committee meeting last week. Commissioners entertained a number of options regarding the money and its recipients. In the end, it was decided the five county board members will individually review the 28 different requests submitted …

Michigan State Police troopers were called to a residential breaking-and-entering incident recently in Branch County’s Batavia Township. According to a department media release, troopers responded to the 100 block of Pond Drive, where the victim told authorities she returned to her residence and found its front door open. Investigators said the front door had shoe and tool marks. The media …

An Indiana man was injured after the motorcycle he was driving was struck by a semi tactor-trailer in Sturgis Township. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies were called shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday to the intersection of M-66 and Bogen Road. The motorcycle, driven by a 50-year-old man, was traveling south on M-66 when a semi, driven by a 60-year-old man …

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are looking into a breaking-and-entering incident that occurred last weekend in Leonidas Township. Investigators said they responded to the 29000 block of M-60. The victim told authorities a shed was entered either Saturday or Sunday, and several items were stolen. Items include a log splitter, small utility trailer, tools and a small …

A Kalamazoo man was arrested and charged with first-degree homicide after intentionally running over a 65-year-old woman in a Walmart parking lot Tuesday, authorities said. The woman was walking in the parking lot located in Oshtemo Township around 12:10 p.m. when a car driven by a 32-year-old Kalamazoo man intentionally hit her, deputies with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office said. …