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April 25, 1999Week in ReviewA news roundup from the 13-county regionANTRIM
County commissioner faces charge of theft TRAVERSE CITY - An Antrim County commissioner was charged earlier this month with stealing from a sporting goods store where he worked. Steven Roote, 30, was charged April 6 with embezzlement under $100, a misdemeanor that carries up to 90 days in jail. Roote's former manager at Fieldsport in Traverse City noticed missing inventory in December and suspected Roote and another employee because their clothing sizes matched clothing that was missing, according to a police report. Janet Mistele, Roote's lawyer, denied the charges and said she believed a jury would find Roote not guilty. "The charges are the result of a personal dispute between Mr. Roote and one of his acquaintances," she said. She declined to elaborate. Charges were filed after police executed a search warrant on Roote's home and recovered several items they believe were stolen from the sporting goods store. Maker criticizes bills to curb body armor sales CENTRAL LAKE - The owner of the nation's largest body armor manufacturer believes legislation to restrict the sale of bullet-proof vests misses the mark. Richard Davis, owner of Second Chance Body Armor in Central Lake, said the legislation means well but in practicality is "just a joke." U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, introduced bills last week to prohibit mail-order sales and to make it illegal for felons to buy or possess body armor. It is titled the James Guelff Body Armor Act of 1999, after a California officer slain in 1994 during a shootout with a man wearing a bullet-proof vest and helmet. Davis said such legislation could prevent him from selling to officers in remote locations, including the Upper Peninsula, where sales are frequently done through the mail. Davis also said such a law could give police a false sense of security because criminals who want vests will still find a way to get them. He also believes the proposal is unconstitutional. CHARLEVOIX
Electric power returns to Beaver Island residentsBEAVER ISLAND - Power from the mainland is once again lighting up the island after technicians finished patching an underwater electrical cable. Power was returned around 11 a.m. to islanders who had relied on four diesel generators for electricity since Feb. 26 when the cable first malfunctioned. The 27-mile underwater power line, which serves as the sole electrical link to the island, was repaired Tuesday evening, but the exact cause of the damage is still unknown. The damaged section of line was raised from 74-feet-deep waters to a barge for repairs. About 600 feet of cable was replaced because of water penetration, according to Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, which supplies Great Lakes Energy, the company that distributes power to the island. CHEBOYGAN
Tiny school district wins reprieve from stateBOIS BLANC ISLAND - The governor has agreed to bend the rules so Michigan's smallest island school district can stay afloat. Bois Blanc's Pines School, which had just four students enrolled last fall and only two students in classes this spring, faced possible elimination in the fall unless the state made an exception. Under a deal worked out with Gov. John Engler, the district will receive $67,000 in funding for another year. But there is a big "if" in the deal. Bois Blanc must have at least one student enrolled in K-8 classes next fall. Easy as that sounds, it could prove a difficult hurdle. The only children eligible to enroll are being home-schooled by their parents. Nunda Twp. supervisor survives recall attempt CHEBOYGAN - Nunda Township Supervisor Ralph Kemp survived a recall election Tuesday that was spurred by citizen dissatisfaction over the spreading of gravel on dirt roads. Nunda Township residents voted 51 yes to 139 no to recall Kemp, who has two years on his term as township supervisor, Township Clerk Marie Sloan said. A total of 78 residents signed a recall petition against Kemp, accusing him of having about $10,000 worth of gravel spread on the shoulders of paved roads and roads where there are few homes. CRAWFORD
Four-hour siege ends peacefully near GraylingGRAYLING - A 37-year-old Tennessee man barricaded himself in a Crawford County house and held off police for four hours Friday afternoon before finally surrendering to officers who had come to arrest him. Gary Lee John of Dandridge, Tenn., was arrested around 5:30 p.m. after he came out of the house under orders from a Michigan State Police Emergency Support (SWAT) Team. He is in the Crawford County jail awaiting charges of possession of stolen vehicles and several outstanding warrants from other courts. No one was injured in the incident, which began when state troopers and deputies from the Roscommon and Crawford County sheriff's departments attempted to serve several felony warrants on John around 1 p.m. at a residence on South Grayling Road in Beaver Creek Township. EMMET
5 suspects accused in check-cashing scheme PETOSKEY - Two Emmet County couples and a brother have been charged in a forgery scheme involving more than $10,000 in stolen checks from post office boxes in three counties. The suspects last fall began breaking into post offices in Carp Lake, Pellston and Petoskey, said Trooper Scott Schlehuber of the Petoskey post of the Michigan State Police. Several checks were stolen and cashed with forged signatures at various stores in Cheboygan, Emmet and Grand Traverse counties, he said. The five suspects, collectively charged with some 44 state crimes and eight federal felonies, are Randolph Scott Staffeld, 24, of Alanson; his brother, Christopher Dean Staffeld, 25, of Pellston; Christopher's wife, Wanda Lynn Staffeld, 27, of Pellston; Peter Sheldon Forester, 29, of Alanson; his wife, Amy Sylvia Forester, 27, of Carp Lake. Harbor Springs rejects proposed passenger ferry HARBOR SPRINGS - City commissioners have again torpedoed a plan to make Harbor Springs the third stop for a proposed passenger ferry service around Little Traverse Bay. Tom Erhart, who started Bay Water Ferry and Tours, presented a revised proposal to Harbor Springs city commissioners Monday. The planned ferry service originates in Bay Harbor and stops in Petoskey. In March, the city rejected an earlier Erhart proposal because of parking issues and concerns about boat congestion. The commission also denied Erhart's request to make use of Ford Park as a meeting place for passengers. Under his revised plan, Erhart said he wouldn't pick up new passengers in Harbor Springs. Threatening graffiti jolts Petoskey High School PETOSKEY - Police and administrators heightened security Friday at Petoskey High School after death threats against "freshmen preppies" appeared in two bathrooms - graffiti that prompted some parents to pull their children from school. Two police officers were stationed at the front and back doors of the school in the morning. Officials also locked 21 of the school's normally unlocked 24 doors to keep tabs on who was entering. In light of the school shooting at Columbine High School that left 15 dead in Littleton, Colo., on Tuesday, school officials did not want to take any chances, Principal Dave Snyder said. Some students estimated as many as 60 freshmen left the 940-student school Friday after parents got word of the graffiti. "A lot of freshmen were really scared," junior Ryan Fettig said. "People's parents flipped out during lunch and a lot left after that." GRAND TRAVERSE
Commission puts brakes on Eighth Street planTRAVERSE CITY - City commissioners temporarily put the brakes on a proposal to make part of Eighth Street a three-lane road so officials can further research the plan. The commission voted 6-1 approving a recommendation by City Manager Richard Lewis to delay a decision on the Eighth Street proposal pending more study of the issue. The commission is slated to hire a consulting firm later this month to develop plans for a proposed roundabout intersection at Eighth and Woodmere, and will ask consultants to make the three-lane Eighth Street plan part of their research. Statistics from the TC-TALUS regional transportation body indicate that section of Eighth Street would be over its vehicle-carrying capacity if the change to three lanes was made. Fire crew attempts to recover costs from train TRAVERSE CITY - Charges were filed Monday against the Grand Traverse Dinner Train in an effort to force the company to pay the cost of fighting 24 fires that investigators believe were sparked by the train. Grand Traverse Rural Fire Chief Fred Muller estimated the cost of fighting the fires to be $1,979, according to court records. Prosecutor Dennis LaBelle charged the company with using an engine without spark arresters and causing a forest fire, a misdemeanor that carries a fine of $100 and enables the county to recoup fire fighting costs. According to a fire department report, company president Ella Cooper denied that the dinner train was responsible for starting the fires and told Muller the county would have to prove that it did. Police chase ends in crash, man's arrest TRAVERSE CITY - A man was arrested for fleeing police and drunken driving after a police chase last Sunday night that ended when the suspect's vehicle ran into a tree. The incident began when a Traverse City Police officer attempted to pull over a Lake Leelanau man he believed was driving drunk. Police said the man sped away, and police chased him six or seven miles through Leelanau County. The man suffered minor injuries after he crashed into a tree, Sgt. Roger McEvoy said. Police wouldn't release his name Monday. Grant will fund cleanup of parking deck site TRAVERSE CITY - A $20 million plan to build a city-owned parking deck and a private commercial development on Park Street between Front and State streets got a $661,800 boost from the state Thursday. The Department of Environmental Quality grant will be used to remove underground storage tanks and any contaminated soils in the area. The grant is part of a state program to clean up contaminated "brownfields" for productive use. Previous activity at the site included a junkyard, a paint shop, an auto repair shop, a gas station and a livery. The city plans to start work this fall on a four-level, 529-space parking structure. CMU ends ed program due to lack of interest TRAVERSE CITY - Central Michigan University will put one of its Traverse City programs on hold until it can determine why enrollment has decreased. Paul McKelvey, director of Central's greater Michigan programs, said interest in the university's elementary education program offered at Northwestern Michigan College's University Center has declined to the point that it's not economical to run. Central began the program in 1996 with 34 students. That number dropped to 24 the following year and last year only six students had completed the prerequisites to enter the program. That number has since grown to 10. The optimal number of students is 30, McKelvey said. This number would generate enough revenue to run the program economically. Alden man charged with soliciting TC students TRAVERSE CITY - One of two men who police say offered up to $500 to teen-agers at Central High School to have sex with them was arraigned Tuesday on charges of soliciting prostitution. David Dugas, 19, of Alden, told police that, armed with a cell phone and $100, he approached eight or 10 male students before school Feb. 25 and asked them to take a call from his friend, who wanted to trade money for sex, according to a police report. Dugas was charged with making obscene phone calls, which carries up to six months in jail, and three counts of soliciting prostitution. Each count is punishable by up to 90 days in jail. The man who was allegedly on the other end of the phone, a business owner and a former employer of Dugas, has not been charged. But Traverse City Police Sgt. Roger McEvoy said there will "more than likely" be a co-defendant in the case. City to pay for boardwalk and public boat slips TRAVERSE CITY - A boardwalk and boat slips on the Boardman River near the new River's Edge development will be paid for with a $364,000 loan from the city to the Downtown Development Authority. City commissioners debated the proposal for more than two hours Monday night before approving the loan. The project includes more than $223,000 for a public boardwalk along the river, almost $50,000 for streetscape improvements along Cass Street and $33,000 for landscaping the riverbank. The work, to begin this summer, also will include construction of three 25-foot floating "finger piers" in the river, providing six public boat slips along the riverfront just south of the downtown dam. TNT sting nets only the wrath of judge TRAVERSE CITY - Calling conduct by the Traverse Narcotics Team "so reprehensible that it cannot be tolerated," a judge dismissed a drug case Friday after deciding TNT had entrapped a suspect. Thirteenth Circuit Judge Philip Rodgers blasted tactics used by the undercover drug squad in a case against Melvin Stanley, a 26-year-old who has been jailed since January on charges that he gave a softball-sized bag of marijuana to an undercover agent. During 3« hours of testimony Thursday, three TNT agents testified about the drug sting and their lack of knowledge of the criminal history of an informant used in the case - a man who was serving probation stemming from 12 felonies recently committed in Florida. "TNT is a shadow of the organization this court once knew," Rodgers said Friday. Under a former administration "they never violated any laws, they never stepped out of the bounds of common decency. ... Now I look at this case," he said. Lt. Don Bailey, second in command at TNT, declined to comment Friday about any of Rodgers' criticism. KALKASKA
Sewer woes may delay sports complex openingKALKASKA - An over-capacity Kalkaska sewer system could delay the opening of the county's $6 million sports complex, Village Manager Mel Hill said. The complex, which will include a skating rink and a swimming pool, is scheduled to open in September, but that depends on having a place to discharge an estimated 6,200 gallons of water daily from the building. The village sewage system already is over its licensed capacity of 400,000 gallons per day by an average of 3,000 gallons. Before the county can obtain a permit to hook up to the village's system, officials need to convince the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality that the system will find the means to handle the discharge. Failure to obtain the permit could delay construction. LEELANAU
Police arrest 2 men, seize 7 pounds of marijuanaLELAND - Police recently arrested two men and seized 7 pounds of marijuana, scales and a large amount of cash, the Traverse Narcotics Team announced. Torin Raymond, 21, of Traverse City, and Jesse Blackford, 22, of Lake Ann, face three felony drug charges each. Police said the marijuana had a street value of $10,500. An additional arrest is expected, police said. The two were arraigned on charges of delivery of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver marijuana and conspiracy to deliver marijuana. Each charge is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison. Raymond posted 10 percent of a $50,000 cash bond Friday. Blackford is being held in lieu of a $75,000 cash bond. Suttons Bay man pleads guilty to sex charge TRAVERSE CITY - A 19-year-old pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct Thursday in exchange for other charges being dropped and other investigations into his past sexual activity being closed. Brian Riggs of Suttons Bay told 13th Circuit Judge Philip Rodgers that he visited a friend's house in October or November of 1998 and the friend's 12-year-old sister performed oral sex on him. At least five other charges were pending against Riggs, and Leelanau Prosecutor Clarence Gomery said in court Thursday that Riggs was being investigated for unrelated sexual assaults, and that those investigations would end once Riggs is sentenced June 7. Tribal fisherman reports that his gill nets missing LELAND - A tribal fisherman reported 3,000 feet of gill nets missing and a tribal attorney says they were likely stolen or destroyed last weekend. The commercial fishing nets were placed last Saturday morning in Lake Michigan off Gills Pier Road north of Leland by tribal fisherman George "Skip" Duhamel, according to tribal attorney Bill Rastetter. The nets were gone when Duhamel went to retrieve them Monday morning. Damage was estimated at $3,000. Interfering with tribal fishing is a federal offense protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to FBI Agent Kenneth T'Kindt. Rastetter also believes the incident could violate Michigan's ethnic intimidation law. "It has happened before in the Leland area," Rastetter said. "We think we know who it is. Proving it is another matter." Wife of slaying victim accused of his death LELAND - The wife of a retired police officer who died mysteriously last New Year's Eve was arrested Friday and charged with his murder. Troopers from the Michigan State Police post in Traverse City announced late Friday that they had taken Cynthia McDonnell into custody on a charge of first degree murder. A further announcement on the arrest will be made Monday by Leelanau County Prosecutor Clarence Gomery, they said. McDonnell, 58, died in his home on Bingham Road in Bingham Township from a gunshot wound that police first reported as a possible suicide. Several factors unearthed in the ensuing investigation have pointed to the likelihood of foul play, Gomery has said. MANISTEE
Man dies, woman burned in early morning house fireARCADIA TOWNSHIP - An early morning house fire Tuesday in Manistee County left one man dead and one woman severely burned. Bradford Allen Bradford, 42, died at the scene. His mother, Helen Sara Bradford, 84, has severe burns covering 50 percent of her body. She is listed in critical condition at Spectrum Health Care East in Grand Rapids. The fire was reported at 6:55 a.m., said Sgt. Kevin Leavitt of the state police. It remains under investigation by the state fire marshal. OTSEGO
Fatal bulldozer accident is still under reviewGAYLORD - Otsego County's prosecutor said Monday that he is still reviewing autopsy reports from a bulldozer accident three weeks ago that resulted in the death of a 60-year-old Hillman man. Duane Milo Stevens died March 30 when he was pinned under a dozer after it rolled over as he was clearing land in a ravine for a new golf course at Hidden Valley Resort. Stevens worked for Crawford Forest Products of Hillman. State police turned the autopsy report over to Prosecutor Kevin Hesselink, who is expected to make a decision soon whether there was any criminal wrongdoing or negligence. Workers consider union at manufacturing plant GAYLORD - Workers at one of Otsego County's largest employers are moving to unionize. About 45 national and regional union representatives from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the United Auto Workers and the AFL-CIO staged a rally Wednesday morning outside the K-Byte manufacturing plant in Gaylord. Robert Edmonds, an organizer for the electrical workers union Local 876, said K-Byte employees have been working to unionize since January. K-Byte manufactures electronic circuit boards for telecommunications, banking, office products and health care equipment. The company employs about 400 people on three shifts, according to Dan Solowy, K-Byte's plant manager. Standard Products, which manufactures rubber and automotive parts, and wood products-maker Georgia Pacific are the county's two other major employers. They already are unionized. Suspect sought in burglary at Johannesburg market GAYLORD - State police are seeking tips on the identity of a man who broke into Red's Market in Johannesburg earlier this month. A lone suspect is being sought in a break-in that occurred between 8 p.m. April 1 and 5 a.m. April 2. An undisclosed amount of cash was taken from the store. Troopers from the Gaylord post of the state police said some paper was ripped up and set on fire, but the store wasn't damaged. The suspect is described as a white male, 6 feet tall and 250 pounds. A surveillance tape that police say shows the man in the store is being played on area television news programs. Trash from hit-and-run results in man's arrest GAYLORD - Garbage that fell out of a truck at the scene of a hit-and-run accident led to the arrest of a 71-year-old man, police said. The man, whose name was not released, was driving a large truck on North Indiana Avenue in Gaylord around 7 a.m. Tuesday but didn't stop at the stop sign at Mitchell Street. His truck collided with a car heading east on Mitchell. The truck driver stopped and talked with the other driver, but then fled the scene, police said. Gaylord City Police Officer Dan Dallas and the victim searched through two bags of garbage that had fallen out of the truck and found a prescription medication bottle with the man's name on it, Dallas said. The man was cited for failure to stop and identify himself at an accident scene, driving on a suspended license and failure to yield the right of way. Dallas also arrested the man on a warrant from the Jackson County Friend of the Court for failure to pay child support. WEXFORD
Developers reconsider proposed housing projectCADILLAC - It's back to the drawing board for a developer proposing a $1.5 million, 180-home subdivision east of Cadillac. Haring Township officials have told developer Gardner Klaasen that they want fewer homes in the subdivision. Klaasen met with Haring Township officials Monday regarding the number of lots and other design factors of Haring Hills subdivision. Klaasen and township officials discussed reducing the number of lots to about 150 and putting two exits out to M-55, rather than having one on 36« Road. Developers are now deciding whether to continue with the project or "walk away from it," said Brent Walton, Klaasen's partner in the development. Man charged with leaving scene of accident CADILLAC - A Boon man was charged with running away from an accident scene after his vehicle ran into a truck and horse trailer Monday night on M-115. Paul Phillip Langworthy, 53, faces misdemeanor charges of failing to stop and identify himself at an accident and driving with a revoked license, according to a district court official. Langworthy is accused of fleeing on foot after driving through a stop sign on East 34 Road without stopping, causing a pickup truck to crash into his vehicle. The pickup truck, driven by Thomas Pierson of Maple City, went into a ditch. Pierson was wearing a seat belt and was not injured. One of two horses he was hauling in the trailer received a minor injury, police said. Two teen-agers survive truck-train collision MANTON - Seat belts may have saved two area teen-agers from serious injuries when the car they were riding in hit a moving train Monday night, police said. Eric Kimbel, 17, of Manton, and a 16-year-old boy who was his passenger are lucky to be alive, said Sgt. Greg Webster of the Wexford County Sheriff's Department. Both teens suffered minor injuries and were taken to Cadillac Mercy Hospital, where they were treated and released. Kimbel was driving west on 10 Road near 41 Road about 8 p.m. when his vehicle struck a northbound Tuscola & Saginaw Bay train broadside, according to the sheriff's reports. The front end of the car was destroyed, Webster said. |
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