Police

Kalamazoo – Three dead, murder-suicide

Police say a 4-year-old boy has died after being wounded in a shooting that left his estranged parents dead. Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Assistant Chief Vernon Coakley said the shooting Thursday morning outside a home killed Julina G. Gibson and Nicholas A. Mitchell. Coakley told the Kalamazoo Gazette the boy, Nicholas J. Mitchell, died later Thursday at a hospital. …

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Woman, ex-beau get life in prison for kids’ arson deaths

A southwestern Michigan woman and her ex-boyfriend both have been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the deaths of her two young children in an apartment fire nearly 25 years ago. Krysta McFadden and Clint Dunning were sentenced Thursday after being found guilty of two counts each of first-degree murder in the Nov. 29, 1992, deaths of McFadden’s …

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911 texts available in Cass County

Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke said the county’s 9-1-1 call center now has the ability to receive emergency texts to the three-digit emergency number from anywhere in the county. Behnke said voice calls to 9-1-1 are preferred, as voice calls allow dispatchers the ability to locate from where a call is being placed. But the text option will suffice in …

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Investigation leads to arrest of Jones woman

A 26-year-old Jones woman was arrested Wednesday following a joint investigation by the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team and agents from the Michigan Department of Corrections Parole/Probation Division. The arrest took place at a residence in the 61000 block of South Main Street, where investigators responded to a tip about drug use and firearms in the residence. A search of the …

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Driver of garbage truck injured in crash

Equipment failure on a garbage truck resulted in a crash and subsequent injury of its driver Wednesday in Cass County’s Penn Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called at 9:30 a.m. to M-60, west of Calvin Center Road. Investigators found that the garbage truck lost control and left the roadway, overturning in a shoulder embankment. The driver, Jason McGaughey, …

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Man sentenced in traffic crash death

A motorist responsible for the death of a 46-year-old Sturgis man in a traffic crash earlier this year has been sentenced to prison. St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman sentenced Paul Michael Middling, 36, of Three Rivers to 20-to-60 years in prison. Middling was driving when his car struck a van driven by Miguel Medina May 4 near …

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Theft from Nottawa Township barn

A chainsaw and a Honda portable generator were reported stolen last week from a barn in Nottawa Township. State police troopers were called Saturday to the 50000 block of Rambadt Road, where someone entered a barn between Oct. 30 and Saturday morning through an unlocked door. Investigators said the suspect loaded both items into a small, pull-behind wagon and left …

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Police investigate Colon Township break ins

A number of seasonal residences in the area of Long Lake in Colon Township were burglarized last month. Troopers from Michigan State Police said the incidents occurred between 4:15 p.m. Oct. 22 and 5:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in the 61000 block of Bass Lane. Investigators said suspects gained entry by using a prying instrument to open the front and rear …

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Officer involved shooting was justified, according to prosecutor

Two men were charged with attempted murder and drug-related offenses following an incident earlier this week in Park Township. Prosecutor John McDonough said the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics Unit, along with another deputy, set up an undercover buy for an undisclosed quantity of methamphetamine. The sale was set up to take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday outside a business …

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Traffic stop leads to arrests

Three teenagers were charged with a variety of offenses after they were found to be in possession of stolen firearms and burglary tools. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, a minivan was stopped around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday on Liberty Street near Michigan Avenue in Three Rivers for a moving violation. While on the stop, the deputy observed a …

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