News

A Three Rivers man was arrested for allegedly stealing a car in Portage, according to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office. The 35-year-old was found driving the stolen car on North Avenue, near South 29th Street, in Kalamazoo County’s Pavilion Township at 9 a.m. Tuesday, deputies said. Deputies tried talking to the man, but he sped away in a southbound direction …

A Sturgis man will face up to life in prison for holding his girlfriend captive for 12 days in March 2021. Rocky Gardner, 39, pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree criminal sexual conduct and false imprisonment as a second habitual offender. In exchange for Gardner’s guilty plea, assistant prosecutor Deborah Davis agreed to drop 12 other charges against him. Gardner admitted …

A judge on Thursday handed down the longest prison terms so far in the plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor, sentencing three men who forged an early alliance with a leader of the scheme before the FBI broke it up in 2020. Joe Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar were not charged with having a direct role in the conspiracy. But …

A Centreville man was arraigned Monday on a variety of charges after he led authorities on a pursuit starting in Centreville and ending in the village of Colon. Court officials said William Lowery, 38, faces charges of fleeing and eluding police, and resisting arrest for allegedly striking a St. Joseph County sheriff’s deputy when the officer took him into custody. …

After a series of false starts over the past eight years, it appears St. Joseph County officials are finally committed to moving forward with two major building projects. During their executive committee meeting Tuesday, commissioners received an update on plans to refurbish the former Three Rivers Public Library to accommodate the county’s Friend of the Court and its Probate/Family Court, …

Sturgis officials agreed this week to appoint Andrew Kuk to the position of interim city manager. Municipal officials on Monday offered the post to Kuk, currently the city’s assistant manager. He will succeed Mike Hughes after Hughes steps down Jan. 20. Also, city commission members directed Mayor Jeff Mullins and city attorney T.J. Reed to work with Kuk on creating …

An alert homeowner thwarted a would-be car thief this week in Branch County’s Bethel Township. Michigan State Police troopers were dispatched at 6:30 a.m. Monday to the 600 block of Block Road. The potential victim told authorities the suspect noticed a man exit a vehicle, possibly a Jeep, and approach the homeowner’s car. Troopers said the homeowner ran the suspect …

A Centreville man was arrested last week after leading deputies on a pursuit across St. Joseph County. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies attempted to stop the vehicle after leaving the scene of a property-damage incident Friday at an unspecified time in the village of Centreville. The pursuit continued east on M-86, as the suspect’s vehicle nearly struck other cars on …

A newspaper with a presence of more than 100 years in St. Joseph County was given a reprieve. The Three Rivers Commercial-News will continue operations under the guidance of a businessman who owns two other publications in Michigan. Mike Wilcox agreed to purchase the newspaper from Dirk Milliman and keep it in business as a weekly publication. The newspaper will …

Two house fires within 12 hours of one another in Sturgis over the weekend are under investigation by the Sturgis Department of Public Safety’s fire marshal. Sturgis public safety officials reported that just before midnight Saturday, firefighters were dispatched to a report of a structure fire in the 200 block of Grove Street. Police units reaching the scene reported smoke …