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September 25, 2005Week in reviewANTRIMEx-corrections officer sentenced to prison BELLAIRE - A former Antrim County corrections officer who confessed to having sexual contact with up to nine female jail inmates will himself experience years behind bars. David R. Dorland was sentenced to three years and four months to five years in prison Monday. Thirteenth Circuit Judge Thomas Power exceeded state sentencing guidelines, which he said "do not adequately address the abuse of authority that occurred here." Dorland, 44, of Torch Lake Township, pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, and two counts of gross indecency. Conditions of Dorland's plea agreement included that he resign as an Antrim corrections officer, where he had been suspended without pay; that he register with the state as a sex offender; and that he give a full disclosure to the Michigan State Police of his inappropriate actions with inmates, county prosecutor Charles Koop said. Jury convicts man of indecent exposure BELLAIRE - A jury found a Banks Township man not guilty of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a mentally disabled woman at an adult foster care facility. The Antrim County jury, however, convicted Gregory Joseph Hoffman, 51, of a misdemeanor count of indecent exposure. Hoffman also was arrested after his trial on a new felony charge of failing to properly register as a convicted sex offender, Prosecutor Charles Koop said. Hoffman's new arrest was based on evidence presented in his defense at trial that established he was living at the Country Haven adult foster care facility run by his wife, Ruthann Hoffman, Koop said. Gregory Hoffman was registered as a sex offender at another address, Koop said. Hoffman's prior criminal record includes kidnapping and first-degree rape in Alabama, for which he was paroled in 1998 after serving 17 years in prison, Koop said. BENZIE Four jail cooks lose jobs to budget cuts BEULAH - Four jail cooks wound up being the lone county workers on the chopping block after Benzie County adopted its budget for the new fiscal year. Six road patrol deputy positions at the sheriff's department were eliminated for the fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, but after some shuffling and two voluntary layoffs, the only county employees to lose their jobs will be two full-time and two part-time cooks. The layoffs came as county commissioners scrambled to balance the budget after voters rejected a millage in August to fund the sheriff's department's road patrol. The cooks will lose their jobs because officials opted to save an estimated $70,000 by contracting with Canteen Correctional Services to serve food at the jail. CHARLEVOIX Council considers firing city manager Wiesner CHARLEVOIX - City council members are divided over whether city manager Michael Wiesner should be fired for a check-writing error that led to city taxpayers paying double - an extra $223,000 - for a street and sewer project. City officials this year agreed to pay United Fire and Casualty Co. of Iowa nearly $223,000, after not including the insurer as a co-payee on a check the city wrote to contractor CCMS Inc. of Barbeau. A CCMS official cashed the check but never paid United Fire, as the insurer insists was required. United Fire had issued bonds for CCMS, assuring completion of a 2001 street and sewer improvement project in Charlevoix and payment of all suppliers and subcontractors. United Fire officials said they received claims against their CCMS bonds, and informed city officials in 2002 to either make all future payments directly to United Fire or to the insurer and contractor jointly. CHEBOYGAN House votes to hand over cutter Mackinaw CHEBOYGAN - Proceedings necessary for Cheboygan city and county to take over ownership of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw have started. The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously voted recently to approve the Coast Guard authorization bill, which includes a provision to convey the ship to local governments for use as a maritime museum. The U.S. Senate is expected to consider the bill within the next two months. The Mackinaw is scheduled to be decommissioned next year after more than six decades of service in the Great Lakes. It has always been stationed in Cheboygan. Gov. Granholm shifts bridge responsibilities TRAVERSE CITY - Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Tuesday returned to the Mackinac Bridge Authority a number of responsibilities that had been shifted to the Michigan Department of Transportation. Granholm and William Gnodtke, chairman of the bridge authority, signed an agreement that affirms the panel's leading role in setting policy, overseeing finances and conducting long-range planning for the 5-mile-long link between Michigan's two peninsulas. MDOT Director Gloria Jeff also signed the deal. She had engineered the earlier changes, which critics labeled a power grab but defenders said would make bridge operations more efficient and save taxpayer money. EMMET Bassett will be featured in television special TRAVERSE CITY - Sarah Reinertsen helped mentor Petoskey High School junior Scout Bassett. Now Bassett gets to return the favor. Bassett was interviewed Tuesday for a television feature on fellow-amputee Reinertsen, who was named the most inspirational athlete at the 2004 San Diego Triathlon Challenge. A crew from Chicago-based Intersports interviewed Bassett on Tuesday. The crew is producing a television show for a CBS Sports Spectacular episode set to air Oct. 30. GRAND TRAVERSE Child care director charged in abuse case TRAVERSE CITY - The director of a local child care center is being charged for allegedly failing to report a child abuse incident two years ago involving a man now jailed and accused of abusing his girlfriend's infant son. Colette Russell, director of the Community Children's Center at First Congregational Church in Traverse City, is being charged with failure to report child abuse, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail. Russell's charge stems from alleged incidents involving Phillip Jon Fahrner and his now 6-year-old son in the fall of 2003, when the boy appeared at the Children's Center with scratches and red marks on his body. Russell, 53, surrendered to police at the Grand Traverse County Jail on Sept. 7, according to court records. Fahrner, 28, is being held on $1 million bond for a charge of first-degree child abuse after he allegedly assaulted 11-month-old Cameron Strang at a Williamsburg home on July 23. Teenager faces trial in motorist's death TRAVERSE CITY - A Wexford County teenager has been bound over to 13th Circuit Court on a negligent homicide charge. Travis Hermatz, 17, of Harrietta, is charged with one count of misdemeanor negligent homicide - a two-year offense - after he allegedly caused a four-vehicle accident July 18 that killed Dr. David Hoerle, 40, of Ada. After a preliminary examination Monday morning, 86th District Court Judge Thomas Phillips said there was enough evidence to bind Hermatz over to circuit court. Hoerle was stopped in a line of traffic for construction on M-37 near Hamlin Road when police said his Toyota van was struck from behind by Hermatz's Dodge Intrepid. Munson patient's suit includes NMC board TRAVERSE CITY - A former patient at Munson Medical Center who contends she was given an overdose of insulin by a nursing student has revised a lawsuit to include Northwestern Michigan College and its board of trustees. Phyllis Manville was admitted to Munson in September 2003 with abdominal pains and had emergency surgery. The new lawsuit, filed in 13th Circuit Court, contends Manville was recovering quickly after the surgery and was transferred to the hospital's general medical floor days later in preparation for discharge. Three days later, Manville contends in her suit, doctors ordered the staff to give a Manville a "heparin flush" to clean out intravenous tubes. Instead, the lawsuit alleges Manville "erroneously" received 250 units of insulin administered by a nursing student under the supervision of Munson nursing personnel. When the first suit was filed, Munson spokeswoman Barbara Gordon-Kessel said the hospital had been "honest and forthright" with Manville's family about her care and was looking to resolve the matter. The suit contends NMC and the board of trustees are liable because it provided the student nurse and is responsible for her actions. Fined company rehired to spray roadsides TRAVERSE CITY - A company fined by the state for improper application of herbicides has been re-hired by the Grand Traverse County Road Commission to spray its roadsides. The Michigan Department of Agriculture alleged that in September 2004, The Daltons Inc., of Indiana applied the herbicide Tordon K in Saginaw County at up to twice the rate allowed by the manufacturer. It also sprayed outside of the road right-of-way and did not properly notify homeowners of the spraying operation, according to allegations. The road commission received criticism last year for allowing the use of Tordon 101 in spraying, so it will not be used this year, manager Mark Makowski said. Instead, the road commission asked The Daltons to use more Garlon-4 to control woody plants. Garlon-4 contains a form of triclopyr, a chemical approved for use on pastures and rice fields. The EPA said triclopyr is slightly toxic to humans if ingested, highly toxic to fish and has the potential to leach into groundwater. Man arrested in baseball bat assault TRAVERSE CITY - A local man is charged with assault after he allegedly beat another unconscious with a baseball bat. Dean Allen Knizacky, 28, of Traverse City, is charged with felony assault with a dangerous weapon - a four-year offense - after he allegedly beat a man repeatedly with a baseball bat early last Sunday. A witness told police Knizacky allegedly hit the male victim between three and four times with a metal bat while he was on the ground. Knizacky was arrested and found to have a blood-alcohol level of .106, over the legal limit, according to 86th District Court records. The male victim was treated for injuries at Munson Medical Center. City declines to buy land near Fulton Park TRAVERSE CITY - The city has declined an offer to purchase 16 acres near Fulton Park. The Patricia L. Keyes Trust offered to sell the city the land for $4 million. It adjoins the city's Fulton Park property off Carter Road and currently is listed at $4.5 million. Commissioners Anne Melichar and Jack Boynton said the city should conduct an appraisal of the property before turning down the offer. But other commissioners said the city can't afford to buy it. T. Michael Jackson said the property would be right for a housing project. BATA awards bid for bus station construction TRAVERSE CITY - The Bay Area Transportation Authority backed a bid from Grand Traverse Construction to design and build a $960,000 bus station on Hall Street. The downtown site drew considerable opposition from some neighbors when BATA won city commission approval for the project last year. Joe DeKoning, BATA executive director, said he wants the station in operation by May. DeKoning said work will begin this fall with the completion of a water main and engineering. He expects to pour footings "before bad weather sets in" so construction can continue through the year. Grand Traverse Construction was the low bidder and came up with the best project, DeKoning said. Man allegedly tries to board plane with pot TRAVERSE CITY - An Onaway man was arrested at Cherry Capital Airport after he allegedly tried to board a plane to Las Vegas with eight marijuana cigarettes in the toe of his shoe. Traverse City police Capt. Steve Morgan said the 45-year-old man was stopped by officials with the Transportation Security Administration at the airport just before 10 a.m. Tuesday. Morgan said TSA officials found the marijuana cigarettes through a X-ray examination of the man's footwear. City officers were called to the airport and arrested the man - apparently headed to Las Vegas with his wife - for possession of marijuana and lodged him in the Grand Traverse County Jail. Injured detective shows signs of improvement TRAVERSE CITY - A Grand Traverse County sheriff's detective critically injured in a motorcycle accident in North Carolina shows signs of improvement and could return to Michigan soon, family members said. Patrick Erway, 31, remains at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., after police said he lost control of his motorcycle Sept. 6 while traveling with his girlfriend. Both Erway and Alexandra Menzil, of Traverse City, were thrown from the motorcycle after it apparently hit a patch of gravel around a sharp curve, Sheriff Scott Fewins said. Erway, who was wearing a helmet, suffered head injuries and has had multiple surgeries. Menzil suffered less serious injuries and is expected to fully recover. Reports posted by Erway's family online said Erway is responsive and has been alert, even making attempts to speak. According to the family's Web site at carepages.com, Erway could be transferred to a Grand Rapids hospital as early as Monday. Developer proposes downtown project TRAVERSE CITY - Another major downtown development is on the drawing board - a $50 million-plus mixed-use project overlooking the Boardman River. Developer Gerald Snowden, a partner in the Radio Centre project downtown, plans a two-phase development at a former used car lot at the southwest corner of West Front and Pine streets to include retail, office and residential space and a privately financed parking structure. Preliminary plans include a six-story retail and office building up to 70,000 square feet along Pine and Front streets, winding down in a u-shaped design to a seven-story retail and residential building of about 130,000 square feet overlooking the Boardman River. A five-level, privately funded parking structure with approximately 480 spaces is also part of the plan, he said. Snowden said Wednesday the plans are "still in the feasibility stage" but is hopeful the project could be under construction by next year. TC being considered for setting for film TRAVERSE CITY - Traverse City would be immortalized on film as a snowy Norman Rockwell-esque town if a West Coast feature film production company has its way. Jill Jaress, a veteran actress and head of Got A Laugh Entertainment, wants to use the city as the setting for her first production, "The Christmas Spirit." The family film - billed as a cross between "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th St." - would be shot this winter and directed by Rich Brauer of Brauer Productions. A former Miss Detroit, Jaress said she visited Traverse City while competing in the Miss Michigan competition "many moons ago." The city was suggested as a film setting by friend and actress Julie Kavner, who has a home in the area and has worked with Brauer Productions. Kavner is best known as the voice behind the animated TV character Marge Simpson. TCAPS math-science program wins award TRAVERSE CITY - Traverse City Area Public Schools' SCI-MA-TECH program received a 2005 Michigan's Best Award from the Michigan Association of School Boards. The awards are given for the best programs in each of 10 school-related categories. The TCAPS program won the math and science honor for its innovation and impact on student achievement. Winners receive a trophy for display at the school, a sign for outside the school and $1,000 to sustain their efforts. Preliminary exam held in embezzlement case TRAVERSE CITY - A preliminary examination continues to determine if owners of a local investment firm will go to trial on charges of using false pretenses to coax area residents into making over $1 million in bad investments. Gary L. Singer and Margaret Zimmerman, owners of Estate Growth Management in Traverse City, appeared with their attorneys before 86th District Court Judge John Foresman for the second round of a preliminary examination hearing Thursday. The state attorney general's office in July charged Singer, 54, and Zimmerman, 47, with multiple felony counts of false pretenses and embezzlement against vulnerable adults. The state also filed 10 counts of embezzlement and false pretenses against the business and four felony charges of embezzlement against Estate Growth employee John Brzezinski. The examination for Zimmerman and Singer is scheduled for a final day on Oct. 4, at which Foresman will decide whether there is enough evidence bind the two over to 13th Circuit Court for trial. Brzezinski, 25, was bound over to circuit court this month and is scheduled for trial in November. LEELANAU Car accident claims life of Suttons Bay teen SUTTONS BAY - Kari Hunt's sister will always remember the 17-year-old's excitement about starting her final year at Suttons Bay High School. "She was looking forward to doing senior stuff this year," said Laura Torrey. Hunt, who also studied computers at the TBAISD Career-Tech center in Traverse City, died in a two-vehicle crash Thursday morning on County Road 633 south of Suttons Bay. She is survived by her 9-month-old daughter. "Even though she was a mom, she was still a high-schooler and had fun," Torrey recalled. "She was a sweetheart." Michigan State Police Sgt. Don Bailey said Hunt was driving north on County Road 633 when a southbound vehicle driven by Amador Cuellar Jr., 20, of Suttons Bay, apparently crossed the center line and struck her car just before 8 a.m. Thursday. Cuellar was transported to Munson Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries and released. Bailey said the investigation hasn't determined why Cuellar crossed into the other lane. MANISTEE Kaleva man jailed on marijuana charges KALEVA - A Kaleva resident is in the Manistee County Jail after police said they seized over $13,000 worth of marijuana plants. The State, Sheriff's, Chief's Enforcement of Narcotics Team said a 44-year-old Kaleva man was arrested in Maple Grove Township after officers seized seven marijuana plants and over six pounds of the drug. The man is expected to be arraigned in 85th District Court on multiple drug charges. MISSAUKEE Police seek suspect in gas station robbery LAKE CITY - Police are looking for a woman suspected of robbing a gas station at gunpoint. A female clerk at the Jiffy Mart in McBain told police that a white female about 5-feet-4-inches tall with a thin build pointed a handgun at her and made off with cash at around 11:15 p.m. Monday. Police said the suspect wore white tennis shoes, wind pants and a purple winter coat with a hood that covered her face. Anyone with information is asked to call the Missaukee County Sheriff's Department at (231) 839-4338. OTSEGO DEQ approves cleanup plan for Kolke Creek GAYLORD - A state environmental official approved the Kolke Creek groundwater cleanup project in Otsego County, despite local objections. Stanley Pruss, deputy director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, approved the cleanup project last week, contending that the proposed runoff of 1.15 million gallons a day into the creek was the best method for disposal of the treated groundwater. The project is meant to clean up a toxic plume in the Manistee River watershed that moves 6 inches closer to residential areas every day. Some conservationists and local residents opposed the method, which would move the treated water into Kolke Creek, the headwaters of the Au Sable River. The DNR fisheries division opposed the easement request by Merit Energy for the project because of the proposed transfer of water from one watershed to another. Officials in Lansing recently approved the easement, DNR spokeswoman Mary Detloff said. Janet Allen named circuit court judge GAYLORD - A luncheon surprise made a Gaylord woman a judge for three northern Michigan counties. Janet M. Allen received a call around noon Tuesday from Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who asked if Allen was free for lunch. The women talked about judicial responsibility and what was expected from the new judge in the 46th Circuit Court. Then Allen got the job. Allen, 54, will fill a vacancy in a circuit court system that covers Otsego, Crawford and Kalkaska counties. She's had her own law firm in Gaylord for six years, is an executive board member with the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association and is the chairwoman of the Otsego County Democratic Party, a position from which she soon will resign, she said. Federal funds allow for trail expansion GAYLORD - Jason Snell can't wait to ride his bike from Gaylord to the Mackinac Straits area in peace and quiet. He's anxious for a $2 million system of paved trails linking more than a half-dozen communities over 61 miles from Gaylord to the Mackinac Bridge. He is an avid mountain-biker and works as the service manager at Latitude 45 Cycle and Sport in Gaylord. About $1.48 million in federal transportation enhancement funds were granted to the Top of Michigan Trails Council to install crushed limestone on state-owned railways, linking Gaylord, Vanderbilt, Wolverine, Indian River, Topinabee, Cheboygan and Mackinaw City. State government chipped in and left only about $160,000 for locals to raise a matching grant. Paul Beachnau, director of the Gaylord Tourism Bureau, said work will begin in April 2006, with about $55,000 left to raise locally.
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