Michigan
Central Michigan men arrested after police chase through multiple counties
Two central Michigan men — one of whom allegedly fled to Texas and Mexico after an armed robbery — were arrested after leading police on a car chase through multiple counties, officials said.
A detective with the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office at about 11 p.m. Monday received a tip the wanted suspect had returned to the county, authorities said. A tipster told the detective the suspect was driving a GMC Yukon and provided him with the license plate number, they said.
Investigators believed the suspect was traveling to his mother’s home in Ionia and sheriff’s deputies positioned themselves to intercept the SUV, police said. They spotted the vehicle on East Lincoln Avenue and tried to pull the Yukon over. However, the suspect driver fled through the city of Ionia and onto a highway to Montcalm County.
Additional law enforcement officers joined the chase on various back roads, they said. The Yukon then traveled toward Greenville where the city’s police department took over the pursuit, officials said.
They followed the suspect vehicle into Kent County where local sheriff’s deputies deployed devices near Northland Drive to puncture the Yukon’s tires. The devices were effective, the vehicle stopped and several people exited the Yukon and ran away, police said.
Authorities searched the area on foot and used a drone to find and arrest everyone who was in the Yukon, they said.
During questioning, the SUV’s driver admitted he knew one of his passengers was wanted for armed robbery, police said. He also told investigators he was a parolee himself and was afraid of being arrested for associating with a crime suspect, they said.
Officials said three other passengers in the Yukon, a 19-year-old woman, a 17-year-old male, and a 22-year-old man, are not being charged. The three are Ionia residents. Police also said all the people who were in the Yukon are related to each other.
Police said the SUV’s driver, Diego Luis Bowerman, 21, of Ionia, was charged with fleeing and eluding police and parole violation. He was arraigned Tuesday in 64-A District Court in Ionia on a charge of third-degree fleeing and eluding police, according to court records.
A judge set his bond at $30,000 and scheduled his next court hearing for Jan. 13, 2025. Officials said he is currently being held at the Ionia County Jail.
Police said the passenger wanted on an armed robbery warrant from Kent County, Enrique Vazquez, 22, also of Ionia, has yet to be formally charged. He was taken to the Kent County Jail.
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Before-and-after images of homes on Black Lake near Onaway provide perspectives on how the community was affected by April flooding.
Snowmelt and rain have stressed dams and caused lakes to flood in northern Michigan.
The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office shared on social media photos and videos that the agency captured of Cheboygan County floods on Friday, April 17 from both the ground and air.
Deputies “observed a level of destruction that simply cannot be understood from ground level,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.
Google Maps images taken from two locations on Black Lake in 2024, compared with the Friday images, show how the floodwater has changed the landscape.
On North Black River Road and Taylor Road, the water has overflowed to North Black River Road.
In the 400 block of South Black River Road, water has also flooded homes and lakeside property.
“Black Lake, Black River, Cheboygan River, Burt Lake, Mullet Lake, the Sturgeon River − and nearly every waterway in the county have overflowed beyond their banks, swallowing docks, roads, yards, and in far too many cases, homes,” the sheriff’s office post said. “What should be familiar shorelines are now unrecognizable expanses of water.”
“Our hearts are with every family affected by this flooding,” Cheboygan County Sheriff Todd Ross said in the post. “We know many of you are facing significant damage to your homes and property, and the emotional toll that comes with it. Please know you are not alone. We are working around the clock with our partners to ensure safety, provide support, and begin the process of recovery. Stay strong, stay connected, and don’t hesitate to reach out for help, we will get through this together.”
Nearby, the UAW Black Lake Conference Center shared images on social media of floodwater threatening its Old Lodge.
The conference center is located at 2000 Maxon Road in Waverly Township.
The Cheboygan County Road Commission and the Cheboygan County Office of Emergency Management closed the bridge at Five Mile Point Road on Saturday, April 18 due to significant road washout in the area of South Black River Road and Red Bridge Road.
The sheriff’s office had encouraged residents in parts of the area to evacuate earlier in the week and said Saturday it had completed evacuation efforts on the west side of the lake.
TEXAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 20-year-old Kalamazoo man is dead after crashing his vehicle into a tree Friday evening in Texas Township, according to Michigan State Police (MSP).
It happened on South 3rd Street and West PQ Avenue around 6:50 p.m., troopers said.
While he was driving in a no-passing zone, the Kalamazoo man swerved off the road to avoid an oncoming vehicle and subsequently crashed into the tree, according to MSP.
The 20-year-old died at the scene. A passenger was hurt, but police said their injuries were non-life threatening.
Troopers do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor, and the two were reportedly wearing seatbelts.
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This incident remains under investigation by MSP.
A Southfield man has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing driver’s licenses, Social Security cards and equipment to create fake documents, federal prosecutors said.
Jerome Antwan Andrews, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing the driver’s license information and Social Security numbers of more than 250 people in a scheme that caused more than $550,000 in fraud losses, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said.
As part of his plea agreement, prosecutors say Andrews admitted to having an embosser, a laminator, a card cutter and an ID card printer and admitted that his business model was aimed at creating and selling fake Social Security cards and driver’s licenses in the names of real people.
“Jerome Antwan Andrews and his criminal associates stole more than $1.5 million by submitting hundreds of fraudulent claims to a pandemic program intended to help unemployed American workers. Today’s conviction of Andrews represents yet another attack in our war against fraud. It sends a stern warning that my office will relentlessly investigate those bad actors greedily lining their pockets with U.S. taxpayer funds,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
Andrews faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the pecuniary gain or loss, according to prosecutors. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor investigated Andrews’ case.
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