County Information

Recapping last week’s fire at the Bentwater Apartments, Three Rivers Fire Chief Dan Tomlinson has issued a press release detailing the damage. The fire, caused by a lightning strike Wednesday afternoon, damaged a total of five of the building’s 16 apartment units. Tomlinson said the most severely compromised apartment sustained about 70 percent damage. Two of the other four were …

Centreville’s village president could face charges after his son and son’s girlfriend were arrested earlier this month. Evidence from a six-week investigation indicates village president Jeff Johnson knew about warrants and drug involvement specific to his son, Jeffrey Charles Johnson, and his son’s girlfriend, Karissa Baltz. The couple was living in the village president’s home. Centreville Police Chief Luke Delcourt …

A press conference is scheduled later this week by Glen Oaks Community College regarding a new partnership with Trine University. Details to be revealed during a 10:30 a.m. Thursday media event are expected to elaborate on a program wherein Glen Oaks students are offered a chance to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree from Trine without having to leave St. …

Two men were treated for injuries after they were involved in a two-vehicle accident last week in White Pigeon Township. State police said William Sherratt, 73, of Colon, was stopped at the railroad crossing on U.S. 131 near Indian Prairie Road, when his vehicle was rear-ended by a car driven by Robert Patterson, 29, of Three Rivers. The incident occurred …

Jury selection for the trial of Andy Brown is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning. Brown, 37, is accused of fatally shooting accountant David Locey at Locey’s office north of Sturgis last October. The trial will begin after Brown‘s attorney, Michael Hills of Kalamazoo, unsuccessfully fought against the bind-over-to-trial process. According to court documents, Hills argued there is not enough evidence …

Sturgis police were involved in a four-hour standoff last week with a man who barricaded himself inside a residence in the 600 block of Devonshire Drive, in the northeast quadrant of the city. According to a department media release, police were called around 9:20 a.m. Friday in response to a suicidal man who had a handgun. A perimeter was set …

A five-person team of volunteers gathered about 300 pounds of debris over the weekend from the Prairie River. The second of five river cleanups this summer involved a 2 1/2-mile stretch of the river Saturday from Burr Oak Road to Middle Colon Road in Burr Oak Township. The event was staged by the St. Joseph County Conservation District. Saturday’s haul …

A lightning strike is believed to have caused a fire at the Bentwater Apartments in Three Rivers Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters arrived shortly before 2 p.m. to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof of building 228. After Three Rivers police conducted an evacuation of the building, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze. Flames were contained to …

A grant awarded the past two decades to St. Joseph County through the Michigan Department of Corrections is being renewed for a three-year period. At the request of District Court Judge Jeff Middleton, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday authorized Middleton submitting the Community Corrections Grant application. Programs and administrative costs covered by the grant equal $103,000. Middleton …

Three people were taken into custody on drug-related charges following an incident Wednesday in Sturgis. According to the Sturgis Department of Public Safety, a tip regarding possible drug activity in the 1500 block of South Centreville Road was received earlier in the day. Officers made contact with two of the parties involved and discovered a large amount of crystal methamphetamine …