Police

Teen guilty of murder when he was 13 sentenced to 63 years

A teenager who was 13 when accused of killing another youth in northern Indiana was sentenced Thursday to 63 years in prison. Alphonso James III, now 16, was convicted of murder in the death of 18-year-old Jaren Minies in Elkhart on Sept. 12, 2018. Minies was shot multiple times during a dispute over a gun, money and a video game system. He …

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Robbery at Sturgis business

The Verizon store in Sturgis was robbed Tuesday. Investigators said the incident occurred at 1:38 p.m. at 1382 S. Centerville Road and involved four black men. They were unarmed. Police said the suspects left the scene in a gray Toyota Corolla later located in the 1300 block of Cato Lane. It had been reported stolen from Grand Rapids earlier in …

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Break-ins in the Tamarac subdivision

Sheriff’s officials are investigating several break-ins recently in the Tamarac subdivision in Lockport Township. Deputies were dispatched to Eagle Drive for a breaking and entering to an outbuilding and also to Falcon Court for a report of larceny from a vehicle. Investigators said they believe the incidents are related and occurred the night of Dec. 26.

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Woman drives off in patrol car

A Sturgis woman faces numerous charges after she managed to escape from handcuffs and drive a patrol car from the scene of an accident. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said authorities responded to a property-damage accident shortly after 3 a.m. Monday on Lutz Road near Hoshel Road. The 25-year-old driver was subsequently arrested for operating while intoxicated. While deputies searched the vehicle …

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Man arrested in Branch County

State police arrested a Branch County man after he held two people against their will earlier this week. Troopers were called around 9 p.m. Sunday to a residence on Stoney Point Drive in Gilead Township. Investigators found a woman and her boyfriend went to her ex-boyfriend’s residence to retrieve personal belongings. Authorities said while the woman and her new boyfriend …

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3 people dead in series of crashes in western Michigan

A person with a disabled vehicle who stepped into U.S. 131 was killed Thursday in western Michigan, causing traffic backups that led to more crashes that killed two more people, police said. The crashes occurred on northbound lanes in Allegan County, between Martin and Bradley, roughly 30 miles south of Grand Rapids. The first incident occurred shortly before noon. “A …

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Police search for person who climbed Mackinac Bridge tower

Authorities are looking for someone who boldly climbed to the top of a Mackinac Bridge tower, took pictures and later posted them on social media. The incident apparently occurred in early November. Alarms were triggered hours apart, but no one was caught, the Mackinac Bridge Authority said Wednesday. The agency’s executive secretary, Kim Nowack, called it “inexcusably reckless.” “It is …

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Two die in fire near Union

Two people died late Saturday afternoon in a Porter Township house fire. The victims have been identified as 69-year-old Patricia Cloud, and Brandon Cloud, age 37. Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke said they were unable to escape their burning home, located in the 70000-block of Tharp Lake Road, west of Union. The investigation continues.

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Michigan panel grants parole to man convicted of killing three

A man who was a teenager when he admitted killing three young women in 1972 has been granted parole by the Michigan Parole Board nearly a half-century after the slayings. The parole board notified the victims’ relatives that Brent Koster, 64, was granted parole on Nov. 10. The Kalamazoo area man will be released from prison on Jan. 21 after …

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DNR leads search and rescue for missing North Carolina hunter near Sleeping Bear Dunes

Rain, cool temperatures and 40 mph winds created challenges for emergency responders searching for a lost North Carolina man on opening day of the 2020 firearm deer season. “Sunday night, Conservation Officer Amanda McCurdy coordinated a successful multiagency search and rescue for a missing hunter,” said Chief Gary Hagler, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division. “First responders faced …

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