Police

Thirty chickens and a duck were reported stolen from a Mendon Township residence earlier this week. St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department deputies were called Monday to the 23000 block of Portage Lake Road, where the victim told police the animals were taken late Sunday or early Monday. The animals were about two months old and different varieties.

A federal appeals court ruled last week that a jury should decide whether the rights of a Sturgis resident were violated by officers from the Sturgis Police Department. A three-judge panel from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Friday rendered its opinion regarding the 2010 incident involving then-20-year-old Charles Smith over the theft of a phone charger from Walgreens …

For the second time in less than 10 days, a 75-year-old Constantine man was forcibly restrained while his residence was burglarized. Constantine Police Chief Jim Bedell said three men in the early morning hours of May 6 forced their way into a residence in the Whispering Pines neighborhood and tortured the man with second-degree burns on his legs and back. …

Two people were arrested over the weekend after they attempted to leave a Sturgis business without paying for more than $2,300 worth of merchandise. Sturgis police said the two suspects shortly before midnight Sunday tried to leave the Wal-Mart store on South Centerville Road through a side door with a cart full of electronics and other high-priced items, police said. …

An auction of confiscated and drug-forfeiture items by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department grossed about $45,000 in sales Saturday. Staged Saturday morning at the St. Joseph County fairgrounds, the auction included the sale of a Camaro Z28 for $10,000 and a trio of Harley Davidson motorcycles that sold for $11,000 collectively. Nearly 300 people had bid cards and many …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department last week investigated a breaking-and-entering incident at a residence in Colon Township. Investigators said someone entered a seasonal residence in the 56000 block of Stowell Road between April 27 and May 10. A bed mattress, box spring and washing machine were stolen from the residence.

An 80-year-old Three Rivers man was not injured after the vehicle he was driving ended up in a creek Wednesday in Fabius Township The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Fred Soukup was driving west on Coon Hollow Road when he lost control of his vehicle around 5:30 p.m. and went off the roadway near Ferguson Road. Deputies said Soukup’s …

State Rep. Matt Lori played a role in a package of bills approved this week by the House Criminal Justice Committee. Three of the bills lower the blood-alcohol content level from the current 0.10 to 0.08 percent for operators of boats, off-road vehicles and snowmobiles. Lori’s portion of the bills is specific to watercraft. Meanwhile, Lori’s Crime Stoppers bill establishes …

Items from a residence in Colon Township were stolen during a forced-entry break-in last week. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said deputies were called to the 32000 block of Decker Road, where jewelry and a number of other items were stolen. The victim told police the incident likely occurred between Thursday last week and this past Sunday.

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are investigating a breaking-and-entering incident that occurred last weekend in Leonidas Township. According to a department media release, a barn was entered by the suspect and cigarettes were stolen from a vehicle parked inside. The suspect was confronted by a resident and fled the area on foot, westbound toward Correll Road.