Police

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioner have approved a pair of three-year contracts affecting 13 employees. Nine employees with the District Court Association and four staff members under the Fraternal Order of Police Corrections Sergeant Unit received new contracts by commissioners last week. Employees in both unions will see wage increases of 2 percent in 2013 and …

A Three Rivers man who sought having his wife attacked in order to lose her unborn baby was sentenced last week to at least a year-and-a-half in prison. Todd Maddux, 32, was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman for offering $300 to have his wife assaulted so she would lose his baby she was carrying. The plan, which was …

An armed robbery was reported at 11:42 p.m. Sunday at the Shell station on South Main Street in Three Rivers. According to the Three Rivers Police Department, a black male wearing a hoodie and dark jeans showed a gun and ordered an employee to open the cash register drawer. The man fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. …

A single-car accident early Sunday morning in Colon Township resulted in two Three Rivers residents seeking medical attention. Officials from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said 30-year-old Matthew Smith was driving west on Colon Road and lost control of the vehicle. Investigators said it appears Smith was driving at an excessively high rate of speed before the vehicle left …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a complaint of a brick thrown through a window at a vacant residence in Centreville. According to a department media release, the property-damage incident took place between Oct. 1 and 4 in the 100 block of North Jane Street.

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has agreed to move forward on a plan to enhance a drug-investigation division of the sheriff’s department. With the cities of Sturgis and Three Rivers agreeing to pledge their support, commissioners signed off on financially backing the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit. Spearheaded by Undersheriff Mark Lillywhite, the initiative will involve training …

A veteran officer with the Sturgis Police Department was announced the recipient of the fourth annual Mike Scott Investigator of the Year award. Patrolman Bill Lentz, who joined the Sturgis force in August 1987, was presented the award by Prosecutor John McDonough during Tuesday’s St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meeting. The 54-year-old Lentz was recognized for his role in …

Police say a semi-truck hauling 41,000 pounds of meat has crashed on a southwestern Michigan exit ramp.  The crash happened early Wednesday on the ramp from southbound U.S. 131 to Interstate 94 in the Portage area.  Portage police say the driver had non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital.  The truck partially blocked the interchange as crews cleaned …

Three Rivers police early Monday arrested three people suspected of being involved in larceny and breaking-and-entering incidents. According to police, a caller to central dispatch indicated subjects were breaking into vehicles parked in the area of East Michigan Avenue and Water Street around 3 a.m. With the help of the department’s canine unit, officers discovered someone had broken into Riverside …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department was called Wednesday to investigate the break-in to and vandalism of a pole barn in Burr Oak Township. According to a department media release, the building – located in the 33000 block of Deer Park Road – was entered. Windows were damaged by BBs from a pellet gun and thrown rocks, investigators said, further …