Police

Friends and relatives of six victims slain in a shooting rampage in Kalamazoo, are offering remembrances of them. Four of them were killed in two vehicles Saturday outside of a restaurant, while a father and son were shot at a car dealership. Below are some of their stories. — MARY JO NYE The 60-year-old retired English teacher served as “a …

The Latest on the shootings in the Kalamazoo: 4:10 p.m. A neighbor of Kalamazoo shooting suspect Jason Dalton says he knew the man had a pistol because the two of them “talked about it.” James Block tells The Associated Press that police carried boxes from the house next door Sunday morning. The 45-year-old Dalton of Kalamazoo Township was arrested early …

A police officer in southwestern Michigan has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for killing a pedestrian while rushing to a home at 30 mph above the speed limit. Berrien County Judge Dennis Wiley says Eugene Anderson failed to turn on his police lights and siren while responding to a domestic call last September. His car struck and killed …

A 34-year-old Cass County man was arrested on drug-related charges following a traffic stop Wednesday. Members of the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team pulled over the suspect’s vehicle near Guyer Road and Union Road, as the driver was under investigation for suspected manufacturing of methamphetamine. A search was conducted on the vehicle and detectives located methamphetamine, marijuana and methamphetamine paraphernalia. …

Four people, including two children, suffered minor injuries after they were involved in a single-vehicle accident last weekend in Nottawa Township. According to a media release from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, 25-year-old Park Township resident Ashley Howay was driving south on Nottawa Road at 3 p.m. Sunday, when the vehicle she was driving hit a patch of ice …

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 …