Government

A White Pigeon woman was cited for speeding after causing a three-vehicle, chain-reaction crash Thursday afternoon in Sturgis Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Rosemary Regan, 59, was driving west on U.S. 12 near Shimmel Road when her vehicle struck the back of a Dodge Caravan driven by Lynda Hagen, 49, of Sturgis. Hagen’s vehicle, in turn, rear-ended …

Three Rivers Police were called to Hoppin School Wednesday morning in response to a report of a student who brought a knife onto a school bus. According to Three Rivers Police, two students engaged in a verbal exchange and one of the students showed a knife and made threatening statements. No further action was taken by the suspect. The incident …

A battery from an irrigation pump was stolen in the past week from a field in Colon Township. In addition, 12 feet of three-quarter-inch plastic pipe was also stolen. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the suspects drove three-quarters of a mile off Steinke Road to an irrigation pump in which the battery was housed. A portion of an …

Sturgis City Manager Mike Hughes is a finalist for the job of city manager in Portage. Hughes was chosen by Portage officials Tuesday as one of three finalists for the post after a pool of five candidates was interviewed last week. The 40-year-old Hughes, who has served as Sturgis city manager since 2005, will join Paul Brake, city manager in …

Four Ohio men charged with armed robbery and other offenses were arraigned in district court Tuesday. Bond for John Gregory, 35; Samuel Davis, 27; Robert Howe, 55; and Corderrius Cook, 27, has been set at $1 million each, by magistrate Mark Books. The four men allegedly held two vendors at gunpoint early Monday at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds, tied …

State police investigators were called Tuesday to a report of stolen property from a farm in Fabius Township. According to a department media release, employees from Corey Lake Orchards discovered two utility vehicles, a chainsaw and a generator had been stolen from the grounds. One of the owners of the orchard was conducting other business and noticed one of the …

A 27-year-old man wanted by Sturgis Police for a 2012 armed robbery incident was taken into custody this week. Sturgis police said the man was found Sunday in Muskegon County, where he was being questioned for fishing without a license. A check on the man’s identification showed the Sturgis warrant related to the December 2012 armed robbery in the 200 …

A man on a motorcycle was injured Tuesday in Mendon Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the 56-year-old man was in the 53000 block of Nottawa Road at 3:20 a.m. when he was broadsided by a deer. The driver was able to stop the motorcycle without crashing, though he sustained injuries to his leg and foot. The driver …

The Substance Abuse Task Force of St. Joseph County recently conducted alcohol- and tobacco-compliance checks at 41 randomly-chosen businesses that sell alcohol and tobacco products. Eighty-five percent of the businesses asked for identification and refused to sell to minors who were used in the operation, conducted in cooperation with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department and police departments in Sturgis …

In addition to a few personnel matters, St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners last week made an appointment to the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Board. Three Rivers resident Roger Rathburn was appointed to fill a vacancy on the CMH board. Also, the commission approved hiring Dixie Strawser as a temporary, part-time employee for MSU Extension; Kathy Kline …