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Detroit Lions to sign former Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates

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2 years ago

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Detroit Lions to sign former Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates


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The Detroit Lions are bringing in more competition at kicker, and it’s a name some fans have been pining for.

The Lions are expected to sign former Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates to a two-year-deal on Tuesday, the first day he’s eligible after playoffs.

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Bates made 21 of 28 field goals this season and finished second in the UFL with 51 kicking points. He visited the Lions on Thursday. And he also visited Washington and Green Bay.

Bates, who played his home games at Ford Field this spring, made a game-winning 64-yard field goal in the Panthers’ season-opening win over the St. Louis Battlehawks and had two other 60-plus-yard field goals this season.

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But as good as he was early in the season, Bates made just 6 of 11 field goals in the Panthers’ final four games and missed a would-be game-winning 53-yarder in the Panthers’ regular season-ending loss to the Birmingham Stallions.

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The Stallions beat the Panthers the following week in the UFL playoffs.

The Lions return veteran kicker Michael Badgley and signed former Michigan kicker James Turner as an undrafted free agent.

Badgley made 27 of 31 field goals in parts of the past two seasons for the Lions, but has just three makes of 50-plus yards in that span.

Turner showed massive leg strength and good accuracy in spring workouts, but is not as refined on kickoffs as Badgley.

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Bates played as a kickoff specialist in college and before the UFL season had not made a field goal in a game since high school.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes told the Free Press this spring he would consider keeping three kickers, including two on practice squad, because of the NFL’s new kickoff rules that could make kickers more involved in tackling on kickoffs.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.





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Detroit, MI

Retired Detroit sergeant faces new sexual assault charge involving 14-year-old victim from 2002

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4 hours ago

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March 27, 2026

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Retired Detroit sergeant faces new sexual assault charge involving 14-year-old victim from 2002



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Paula Wethington

Web Producer

Paula Wethington is a digital producer at CBS Detroit. She previously held digital content roles at NEWSnet, Gannett/USA Today network and The Monroe News in Michigan. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.

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/ CBS Detroit

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An additional case, this one involving a victim who was then 14 years old, has been added to the sexual assault investigation against a former Detroit Police Department sergeant. 

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced the latest charges on Friday against Benjamin Martin Wagner, 68, who now lives in Greenville, N.C. He had retired from the Detroit Police Department in 2017. 

The victim in the additional charges was 14 years old when the assault happened in October 2002 in Detroit, Worthy said. The prosecutor alleges that Wagner approached the victim, pointed a handgun at her, ordered her away from the location and then sexually assaulted her. 

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In this case, he faces charges of kidnapping, two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. An arraignment hearing took place Friday in the 36th District Court in Detroit. A probable cause conference is scheduled for April 7.

The woman is now 37 years old. 

“She has lived with what happened to her for 23 years and has now bravely decided that she wants to be a part of holding him accountable,” Worthy said. 

Wagner participated in a court hearing Thursday and was remanded to jail, one week after he was charged with 15 counts of kidnapping and rape in five separate sexual assault cases. All of those incidents happened between 1999 and 2003 in the northwest side of Detroit, with the victims being young women between the ages of 15 and 23. 

The court dates for the earlier list of charges are April 7 for a probable cause hearing and April 14 for a preliminary exam. 

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Wagner joined the Detroit Police Department in 1989 as a police officer and was eventually promoted to sergeant. He retired in 2017 and moved to North Carolina. 

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Detroit, MI

Metro Detroit weather forecast, March 26, 2026 — 11 p.m. Update

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16 hours ago

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March 27, 2026

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Metro Detroit weather forecast, March 26, 2026 — 11 p.m. Update


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At WDIV, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. Read our article to see how we are using Artificial Intelligence.



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Detroit, MI

Fangirl Culture is Front and Center as Detroit Mercy Theatre Company Presents a Zany Y2K Comedy

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1 day ago

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March 26, 2026

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Fangirl Culture is Front and Center as Detroit Mercy Theatre Company Presents a Zany Y2K Comedy


I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire closes Detroit Mercy’s 55th Season

DETROIT — Detroit Mercy Theatre Company (DMTC) closes the inaugural season of the new Detroit

Mercy Black Box Theatre with I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire by Samantha Hurley, playing April 10-19 on University of Detroit Mercy’s McNichols Campus.

I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire is set in 2004 and follows 14-year-old Shelby Hinkley, who is obsessed with Hollywood star Tobey Maguire and creates a play to kidnap and marry him in her basement.

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“This play is as hilarious as it is heartfelt,” said DMTC managing director Sarah Rusk. “Shelby truly believes Tobey Maguire is her destiny, and through her obsession we get a look into the complicated emotions of growing up during the Y2K era.”

“I absolutely love working with young actors,” said director Cassandra Svacha.

Student Actor, Rileyt McDevitt. Detroit Mercy

Student actor Riley McDevitt, Photo by Alan Devlin

“Watching them create and rise to the challenge is thrilling. I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire to college-aged kids is like a period piece; none of them were alive when this story takes place so it’s extra fun to have them dive into this world in an anthropologic way. They aren’t reminiscing or remembering 2004, they have to study that world and build it for themselves.”

I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire runs six performances April 10-19 at the new Detroit Mercy Black Box Theatre on University of Detroit Mercy’s McNichols Campus. The DMTC Ticket Office is open Tuesday-Thursday 10 a.m.- 2 p.m., with tickets being available for purchase anytime online at www.DetroitMercyArts.com.

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Individual tickets are $25 for adults, $18 for seniors and Detroit Mercy faculty, staff and alumni, and $10 for veterans and students (ages 4-college). Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. To schedule your group, contact Sarah Rusk at 313-993-3273.

Those looking to buy tickets should note that the play is rated R and contains adult language and

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