Police

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department was summoned shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday in response to a two-vehicle accident in Fawn River Township. Investigators said a pickup driven by a 58-year-old Coldwater man was eastbound on U.S. 12 when a vehicle driven by an 18-year-old Westland woman attempted to make a left turn onto Carls Road The driver of the …

Cass County authorities recovered the body of a South Bend man who drowned Monday in Kirk Lake, northeast of Vandalia. The body of Eugene Carpenter, 69, was found Monday afternoon. Cass County authorities were called to the public access of Kirk Lake about 2 p.m. after a boat was found abandoned. Officials said it appears Carpenter was attempting to launch …

St. Joseph County Sheriff Brad Balk said car-deer collisions, drunken-driving arrests and the number of complaints investigated by the department in 2011 all increased from the year before. During his annual report to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last month, Balk said the department in 2011 experienced an 11-year high with 65 arrests for motorists operating under the …

The Sturgis Police Department is reminding city residents that the municipality’s general noise ordinance will be enforced for fireworks-related complaints received Tuesday through Thursday. Deputy Chief David Ives said jurisdictions with a noise ordinance in place before the state’s approval of commercial-grade fireworks for the general public can be enforced. Meanwhile, the Sturgis Fire Department reminds residents that extreme caution …

Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood Jr. said his department is investigating a homicide that occurred around 1:30 p.m. Friday in the 19000 block of U.S. 12 in Mason Township. Deputies responded to a report of a person stabbed and found the victim, Martha Sexton, dead as a result of stab-related injuries. The suspect, 59-year-old Edward Hensley, is the victim’s brother. …

Investigators from the Sturgis Police Department are looking into a stolen-vehicle case, stemming from an incident that occurred late last week. Police said a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer was stolen from the 1100 block of North Centerville Road at 1:20 p.m. Friday. The suspect fled northbound on Centerville Road. Around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, police were notified of an abandoned vehicle engulfed …

An Indiana man suffered minor injuries Wednesday after wiping out on his motorcycle to avoid hitting a deer in the roadway. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said 24-year-old Shane Richardson was slightly hurt as a result of the 11:45 a.m. incident in Florence Township. Deputies said Richardson was driving west on Featherstone Road when he managed to keep from …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department handled a fatal pedestrian traffic accident which occurred last night shortly before 10pm on US-12 near Plumb School Road in Fawn River Township. The victim was identified as 51-year-old Roy Hankins. He was reportedly walking along US-12 and wandered into traffic, when he was struck by a westbound vehicle driven by a Bronson man. …

St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough has leveled a charge of assault with intent to murder against a 53-year-old Florence Township man. McDonough on Tuesday said the charge against Bruce Tullos was warranted considering the extent and severity of injuries he inflicted upon the female victim. No weapon was used in the attack, investigators concluded. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s …

Authorities say a 38-year-old woman was critically injured with extensive burns after leaning over a firework she lit in southwestern Michigan.  Kalamazoo police say the woman was setting off fireworks late Wednesday at her home with her husband. She was hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns to her face, hands, arms and torso.  Lt. Stan McDonald said investigators believe the firework …