Police

Police looking for Criddle and Williams

Investigators with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help in locating two potential suspects related to an armed robbery and home invasion incident last week. According to a sheriff’s department press release, Justin Shawn Criddle and Timothy Bryce Williams are persons of interest. The two may have been involved in an incident Tuesday morning at …

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Meth explosion

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department responded to an explosion shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday in the 23000 block of West U.S. 12 in Sturgis Township. Upon arrival to the apartment unit, investigators found the explosion was triggered by a methamphetamine lab. The complex was evacuated while the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics Unit responded and removed the …

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Residents assaulted by three men

Two Fabius Township residents were assaulted by three men following an incident Tuesday morning. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, a woman knocked on the front door of a residence in the 13000 block of Mohney Lake Road shortly after 7 a.m. and told the resident that her vehicle broke down. When one of the occupants went outside …

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Two women charged with meth-related offenses

A Fabius Township woman was one of two people charged with meth-related offenses late Monday. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said deputies went to a residence in the 14000 block of Bullock Road in search of Christon Vallier. Vallier was wanted on three warrants from Kalamazoo County. Vallier and 47-year-old Dawn Baumfeld were charged with maintaining and operating a …

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Urn stolen from cemetery

A 250-pound urn was stolen from a burial site between March 4 and 11 at Leonidas Cemetery. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, the cement urn was painted black, stands about 30 inches high and has a diameter of about 18 inches. The item was reported stolen last Saturday.

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Another Meth Arrest

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department arrested two men last weekend after they were found to be manufacturing methamphetamine on an island in the St. Joseph River. The men, whose ages and hometowns were not included in a sheriff’s department news release, were arrested at a boat launch in Mottville Saturday after they came ashore from an island downriver. A …

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Raising Money For Headstone

Constantine Police Chief Jim Bedell is heading up a cause that would allow for the purchase of a headstone for Jodi Parrack’s gravesite. Bedell said the 11-year-old Constantine girl, whose killer remains at large, is buried at White Pigeon Cemetery and lacks a permanent headstone. Parrack was last seen riding her bike home from a friend’s house in November 2007. …

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Sturgis Man Arrested

A 23-year-old Sturgis man was charged with a number of offenses after he fled from Sturgis police late last week. Phillip Royer was charged with fleeing and eluding, resisting and obstructing an officer, driving on a suspended license and also was charged with a parole violation. His arrest culminated after Sturgis police attempted to stop him for a moving violation …

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Hillegas In Jail

An Indiana man who was brought to the attention of police after a number of incidents March 17 was arraigned in court Friday. St. Joseph County officials said Jerry Hillegas, 46, was charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and violation of a charitable solicitation. Hillegas on March 17 confronted a woman at a downtown business and asked …

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Breaking into Elementary School

Deputies from the Cass County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a breaking and entering at 7 a.m. Friday last week at Marcellus Elementary School. It was discovered that the school, an outside greenhouse and the concession stand had been vandalized and items taken, including electronics and a small amount of money. Marcellus School officials stated that repairs from …

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