A 19-year-old from Pickford, Michigan, was arrested by the FBI on Friday for allegedly making antisemitic threats on Instagram.
Seann Pietila was charged in a criminal complaint with “transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure another,” US Attorney Mark Totten announced Friday in a news release.
“Antisemitic threats and violence against our Jewish communities – or any other group for that matter – will not be tolerated in the Western District of Michigan,” Totten said.
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According to a probable cause affidavit, Pietila had conversations with another Instagram user about committing a mass casualty or mass killing. Pietila told investigators that he didn’t plan on following through with the mass killings he discussed, the affidavit says.
Investigators found the name of an East Lansing synagogue, a date and a list of weapons – including bombs, Molotov cocktails and guns – in the notes app of Pietila’s phone, according to the affidavit.
His home was searched on Friday and among the items found were ammunition, magazines, a shotgun, rifle, various knives and a Nazi flag, Totten said.
Beth Lacosse, Pietila’s public defender, declined to comment, saying she had just been appointed to the case.
Pietila made his first court appearance on Friday and his detention hearing is set for June 22, according to court documents.
Here is a look at the boys volleyball statewide rankings by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association for the second week of the 2025 season.
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Across Northern Michigan’s state parks trees are covered in heavy ice, roadways are covered in wind-blown debris and electrical powerlines are still down after a severe ice storm barreled through this weekend.
In response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s state of emergency, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is closing state parks, trails and facilities as they assess the storm damage.
Here are the areas that are currently closed:
Aloha, Burt Lake and Cheboygan state parks (Cheboygan County).
Clear Lake State Park (Montmorency County).
DNR Customer Service Center in Gaylord (Otsego County).
Fisherman’s Island and Young state parks (Charlevoix County).
Hartwick Pines State Park and Visitor Center (Crawford County).
Negwegon State Park (Alcona and Alpena counties).
Onaway, Thompson’s Harbor and P.H. Hoeft state parks (Presque Isle County).
Oden State Fish Hatchery and Visitor Center (Emmet County).
Otsego Lake State Park (Otsego County).
Rockport Recreation Area (Alpena and Presque Isle counties).
Wilderness and Petoskey state parks (Emmet County).
Why this Northern Michigan ice storm damage is so tough to fix
The DNR warned that many trails near these state parks and in affected counties are also closed due to hazardous obstacles.
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Hikers and bikers are also advised to avoid state forest lands as trees are still snapping and falling.
As DNR trail assessments take place, closure signs and blockades will be placed in areas that are determined unsafe. In the meantime, trail users are asked to used extreme caution when using trails.
“The trails could be dangerous especially for motorized trail users who come up on unsafe trail conditions quickly,” said Scott Slavin, Northwest Lower Peninsula trails specialist for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division.
“We urge off-road vehicle riders to slow down, take corners with extra caution, watch for potential hazards and stay on designated trails.”
The DNR is contacting camping reservation holders in affected areas of the northern Lower Peninsula to cancel existing reservations.
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Upper Peninsula reservation holders traveling from the Lower Peninsula are strongly encouraged to cancel for a full refund. Please call the reserved park with questions.
Destructive spring ice storm debilitates Northern Michigan, see videos
In Grayling, Hartwick Pines State Park Interpreter Craig Kasmer documented thick ice coating trees around the park’s roads and visitor center. (Photo Courtesy of Craig Kasmer | DNR)Photo Courtesy of Craig Kasmer | DNR
In Grayling, Hartwick Pines State Park Interpreter Craig Kasmer documented thick ice coating trees around the park’s visitor center.
In a video the loud, snapping of branches could be heard echoing in the distance making gunshot-like cracks.
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Over the weekend, the park posted that the road to the visitor’s center was impassable and the building had lost power. On Tuesday, the park updated that the center was unscathed by the damage.
However, conditions were not safe to travel on the Old Growth Trail or the Logging Museum so the potential damage there is unknown.
In Grayling, Hartwick Pines State Park Interpreter Craig Kasmer documented thick ice coating trees around the park’s roads and visitor center. (Photo Courtesy of Craig Kasmer | DNR)Photo Courtesy of Craig Kasmer | DNR
Ice and wind storms leave downed, broken trees across Michigan; hold off on removal
Trail assessments and cleanup efforts are a collaborative effort between the DNR and the many volunteers who maintain these trails on a regular basis. Trail users can report significant obstructions or erosion to Jessica Roehrs at 517-331-3790 or HolleyRoehrsJ@Michigan.gov.
‘Catastrophic’ damage: Thousands of miles of powerlines smothered in ice after Northern Michigan storm
The craft brewery fans have spoken, and the final four semifinalists for The Detroit News Michigan Craft Brewery Bracket Challenge have been announced.
The first bracket pairs Griffin Claw Brewing Company of Birmingham, which also has a tap room and facility in Rochester Hills, and Williamston, Michigan’s Old Nation Brewing, maker of the popular M-43 beer. It’s a good matchup: Both beer companies distribute in Michigan and beyond, and both opened in the mid-2010s.
The second bracket pits against each other New Holland Brewing on the west side of the state and Cheboygan Brewing Company at the top of the lower peninsula. Both of these breweries have been around a while, with New Holland dating back to 1997 and Cheboygan opening in 2009 (although the Cheboygan Brewing and Malting Company operated in the late 19th century).
Voting for these two brackets is open now and runs through Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. The two winners will battle each other in the final round.
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These contenders started as a pool of 64 breweries which were chosen based on nominations from our readers. The champion brewery will get a trophy and bragging rights, plus a feature in The Detroit News.
