Police

The preliminary hearing for two Mottville Township residents charged with animal torture and cruelty will continue next month. St. Joseph County District Court Judge Jeff Middleton began hearing testimony Tuesday in a preliminary examination for Jessica Archberger and Troy Leiby. Charges against the two were brought after exotic animals were seized Jan. 29 from a home they rented on Barker …

Authorities say charges are expected after they seized dogs and dog fighting paraphernalia during a raid on a Kalamazoo-area home. Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement Director Steve Lawrence tells the Kalamazoo Gazette the Oshtemo Township property searched Wednesday was home to a man who was convicted three years ago for his role in a dog fighting operation. Lawrence says …

Authorities say a driver who drowned with a passenger in southwestern Michigan had a blood-alcohol level that was above the legal limit. The Berrien County sheriff’s office says Autumn Mehl’s level was 0.14. The threshold for drunken driving is 0.08. A car was found upside down Sunday in Brandywine Creek in Niles. Mehl and Steven Rough were last seen leaving …

A 75-year-old man has been sentenced in the fatal shooting of his ex-wife at their western Michigan home. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that a Kalamazoo County circuit court judge ruled Tuesday that Jimmy L. Thrasher will spend 14 years to 25 years in prison for the slaying of 74-year-old Grace Thrasher. Thrasher pleaded no contest in January to second-degree murder …

A man who authorities say pointed a gun at his brother-in-law in an apparent joke has been sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for second-degree murder in the man’s death. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports Timothy Salo this week learned his punishment. He pleaded guilty in January and admitted that he fatally shot 29-year-old Jason Vanostran in April 2014 …

A longtime fixture in Cass County has announced he will not seek re-election later this year to another four-year term. Sheriff Joe Underwood Jr. stated in a media release he plans to retire after 40 years in law enforcement. He has served as sheriff the past 24 years. Underwood said he spent a significant amount of time weighing the decision …

Two people found in a car in a creek in southwestern Michigan died from drowning. The autopsy result was announced Monday, a day after the car was found upside down in Brandywine Creek in Niles. The victims were Autumn Mehl and Steven Rough, who were last seen leaving a bar early Saturday. The road above the creek was snow-covered and …

A man faces charges in the deaths of a woman and her son in an icy, chain-reaction crash last month on I-94 in southwestern Michigan. Carol and Andrew Griesemer died in the pileup in Van Buren County. The crashes on Jan. 17 spread to more than 40 cars and trucks. Timothy Martinez, a 40-year-old from the Grand Rapids area, appeared …

Bitterly cold weather has made its way into Michigan and wintry conditions are creating hazardous driving conditions in parts of the state. The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories into the weekend, with temperatures forecast to drop below zero at times. The Van Buren County sheriff’s department reports numerous crashes Friday along a stretch of I-94 in southwestern Michigan. …

A courthouse addition for the county courts departments was identified as the No. 1 priority based on an informal poll during this week’s county commissioner workshop. The five-member panel over the course of an hour Tuesday revisited a number of projects either in progress or on the drawing board. Among the projects in either the planning or discussion stages, however, …