Three arraigned in district court

A trio of men who fled from police in Three Rivers earlier this week were arraigned in district court Wednesday.

William Powell, 23, Antonio Hearn, 20, and Charles Hearn, 21, face a variety of charges following the Monday night incident in which one of the men held his 6-month-old son while fleeing from police.

All three men, originally from Ohio, were members of the Glen Oaks Community College 2012-13 basketball team.

Powell and Antonio Hearn were charged with retail fraud, and resisting and obstructing police. Charles Hearn was charged with retail fraud, fleeing and eluding, driving while intoxicated, child endangerment, child abuse, and resisting and obstructing, according to authorities.

They were arrested following an incident at Wal Mart. The three fled the scene in a vehicle, which crashed at Constantine Street. They left the crash site on foot but were soon after taken into custody.

The 6-month-old boy was turned over to the custody of his mother.

Studying surveillance in robbery

Investigators from the Three Rivers Police Department are studying surveillance images of an armed robbery Tuesday in hopes of identifying the lone suspect.

The incident occurred shortly after 10 p.m. at the BP gas station on West Michigan Avenue. A photo of the suspect shows him to be a 6-foot-tall black male with a heavy build. He was armed with an unknown handgun.

The suspect took an unknown amount of money, the clerk’s cell phone and car keys, and stole the clerk’s car. The vehicle was found abandoned on the Chicago Skyway bridge.

Police said they believe the suspect phoned 9-1-1 and reported a fictitious incident away from the gas station in order to flee the city limits without police interference.

Woman cited in crash

A 14-foot fishing boat was knocked off its trailer after it was rear-ended by a vehicle over the weekend on U.S. 12 in White Pigeon.

State police said an eastbound car driven by a 59-year-old North Carolina woman failed to use caution after the vehicle in front of her slowed to turn right into a bait shop at 7:30 Sunday morning near Elkhart Street.

The woman’s vehicle struck the boat, which ended up coming to rest in the right lane of the roadway. Her car proceeded onto the trailer, which broke at the wheels under the weight of the vehicle.

Neither the woman nor the 45-year-old Goshen man were injured. The woman was cited for failure to stop within a safe distance.

Burgoyne charged with DUI

A veteran member of the White Pigeon Police Department was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence last week following a one-car accident in Branch County.

State police investigators said Sgt. Bill Burgoyne, who has a two-decade career with the White Pigeon department, faces charges related to drunken driving after an incident around 6 p.m. Friday in Sherwood Township.

Burgoyne was charged after the vehicle he was driving went off the roadway and rolled over on Mendon Road.

He was off duty at the time of the crash. Michigan State Police investigated the crash and did not release his blood alcohol level. He posted bond and was released from the Branch County Jail.

Burgoyne reportedly remains on the job, as the village’s contract with its police union does not allow it to take action based on allegations. Burgoyne is slated to appear in Branch County court next week.

MDOT issues grant to Sturgis

The Michigan Department of Transportation has issued a road-improvement grant to the city of Sturgis to complement an expansion project underway by Summit Polymers.

State Rep. Matt Lori announced the $242,640 grant would be matched by $60,660 put up by the city to improve a 1,420-foot portion of Broadus Street between Progress Street and Dresser Drive for all-season access to Summit Polymers.

Sturgis City Manager Mike Hughes said the grant complements the company’s commitment to a $1 million investment in equipment for a new line and overall upgrades of the automobile-parts supplier’s Sturgis plant.

While Summit Polymers has already started work on its new line, the city will complete the roadwork for which the grant was awarded later this calendar year, Hughes said.

Summit Polymers currently has 157 employees at its Sturgis facility and plans to add 27 more workers when its new line is put into operation.

Three-vehicle crash

A Minnesota man was cited for failure to yield as the result of a three-vehicle accident Saturday night in Three Rivers.

State Police investigators said the 54-year-old driver of a mini van attempted to turn left from southbound U.S. 131 into the Super 8 hotel parking lot. He turned in front of a northbound car driven by a 38-year-old Three Rivers man, whose vehicle struck the side of the van.

The collision forced the minivan to spin out of control and struck a third vehicle, driven by a 34-year-old Three Rivers woman. She was treated for minor injuries at Three Rivers Health.

The incident occurred at 10:30 p.m. Alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

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