(FOX 2) – An animal cruelty investigation by the Michigan DNR has resulted in four charges against a northern Michigan man accused of a “large-scale animal abuse case.”

Scott Thompson, 56, of Hawks, was arraigned in court Friday on counts of failing to provide animals with adequate care, among other cruelty charges.

A chief with the Department of Natural Resources’s law enforcement division said in a news release “something had to be done” after responding to the suspect’s family property where they found 10 dead animals, including four geese, two chickens, a horse, pig, quail, and rabbit.

The DNR ordered the owners to bury the horse before sending the other nine deceased animals to a lab at Michigan State University. They determined the cause of death was starvation and dehydration.

During the official’s second visit to the farm, they found more animals starving with no water and poor living conditions.

A total of 75 animals were seized and taken to other facilities with better care. The animals that were seized included geese, sheep, chickens, pigs, horses, dogs, mini cows, turtles, goats, cats, and turkeys and rabbits.

Following his arrest on July 18, Thompson was released on bond and is expected back in court on Aug. 16. According to the DNR, a second suspect is sought in the case. 

Thompson was charged failing to provide adequate care, animal cruelty, and two misdemeanors for improper burial of dead animals.

He has pleaded not guilty to all four charges.

“This is a rare situation for the DNR to get involved in, as domestic animal complaints and investigations are not our primary responsibility or focus. However, there were no other resources available,” said Chief Jason Haines, DNR Law Enforcement Division.

(CBS DETROIT) – Health officials announced a case of measles has been confirmed in an adult who lives in Wayne County and is associated with international travel. 

Wayne County adult diagnosed with measles 

Wayne County Public Health said the individual is following isolation protocols. The county health department is working with state health officials to identify anyone who could have been exposed to this measles case. 

The possible exposure locations include the following: 

• Michigan Medicine Canton Health Center Waiting Area at 1051 N. Canton Center Road
  July 25 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
  July 29 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Trinity Health IHA Urgent Care- Schoolcraft Campus at 19000 St. Joe’s Parkway Suite 140 in Livonia
  July 27 between 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Anyone at either of these locations during any of these times who is not fully vaccinated for measles or does not know their vaccine status should contact officials through the Wayne County Public Health form. 

Other measles cases in Michigan, other states

This is Michigan’s seventh confirmed case of measles this year. 

On July 3, a child in Macomb County was diagnosed with measles. Health officials said there wasn’t any known travel associated with this case. 

The possible exposure sites in this case were the following: 

• Motel 6, 8300 Chicago Road., Warren (June 26).
• Children’s Hospital of Michigan Troy Emergency Room, 350 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy (June 30, from 1:30 to 4 p.m.).

The presence of measles has been reported in at least 17 states so far in 2024, and data shows that thousands of schools across the country are below the threshold for reaching herd immunity against the virus. 

Measles symptoms and prevention

Residents who were potentially exposed should monitor for the following symptoms for up to 21 days: 

• Fever
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red, watery eyes
• Tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums, and roof of the mouth (Koplik Spots) two to three days after symptoms begin.
• A rash that is red, raised, blotchy; usually starts on face, spreads to trunk, arms and legs three to five days after symptoms begin.

If a person gets any of these symptoms, they should notify their healthcare providers before seeking care, as measles is highly contagious. 

The disease is spread through infectious droplets and airborne spread when a person with measles breathes, coughs or sneezes. 

Health officials say the disease is preventable through vaccination, and 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to measles become infected. 

It can be serious for young children, and one in 20 children infected with measles will get pneumonia, and three in 1,000 will die, according to Wayne County Public Health.

“Measles vaccines are safe, effective, and easy to get,” said Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Wayne County Health Officer. “As we head into the back-to-school season, please protect your kids, your family, and your community by making sure your child is up to date on their vaccines.” 

To verify their vaccination status, residents are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider or WCPH.

After more than five years in Russian captivity, Michigan’s Paul Whelan is back in the United States.

The wheels of a sleek, silver jet with a single red stripe touched down at 11:37 p.m. Thursday at Joint Base Andrews near Washington D.C., carrying Whelan, 54, of Novi, along with Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who also had been held by Russia.

It slowed to a stop at 11:43 p.m., and President Joe Biden, who personally intervened in the long months it took to negotiate a multi-country prisoner swap involving some two dozen people, walked side by side with Vice President Kamala Harris to greet the passengers.

Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth, followed directly behind them, trailed by Gershkovich’s parents and Kurmasheva’s family.

More: Michigan leaders react to release of Paul Whelan

More: Tiny Michigan village filled with ‘pure joy’ as Paul Whelan is released from Russia

Whelan was the first to step off the aircraft, meeting applause.

He shook Biden’s hand and gave him a hug, asking, “How you doing, sir?” and then did the same with Harris before walking toward his sister, Elizabeth Whelan, for a long embrace.

“It feels wonderful,” Biden told reporters who asked how he felt a short time later, standing nearby as the families hugged and mingled. “It was a long time coming.”

“I meant what I said (earlier in the day), alliances make a difference, [allies] stepped up and took a chance for us.” Biden’s negotiators worked with a team of other countries, including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey to arrange a swap of some two dozen prisoners, including the three Americans.

It was considered the biggest, most complicated prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War.

Speaking to reporters briefly after being greeted by Biden and Harris, Whelan said, “thank you very much,” to all the people who played a part in his release.

And when asked how he managed to cope during his more than five years and seven months in Russian detention, Whelan said: “I’m resilient. It’s my Irish background. You have to be a little tenacious with these people, but you do it day by day. Every day, I sung the national anthems of my four countries. I did it one step at a time.”

Whelan, who was born in Ottawa, Ontario, holds passports in the U.S., Canada, Britain and Ireland. His parents, Edward and Rosemary Whelan, immigrated to Canada from Britain. The family moved to Ann Arbor when Whelan was a small child, and he graduated in Huron High School’s class of 1988. He got Irish citizenship from his grandparents.

Whelan is a former Marine and was the head of global security for BorgWarner before his arrest in December 2018 in Moscow. He was charged with espionage while visiting Russia for a friend’s wedding. His family and the U.S. government have maintained the charges were false.

Next off the plane after Whelan on Thursday night was Gershkovich, who had been detained in Russia since March 2023 and who waved to the crowd gathered to greet him as he came down the steps. He hugged Biden and Harris before he trained his eyes on his waiting parents.

He lifted his mother into the air as they hugged for the first time in more than a year.

Last off the plane was Kurmasheva, a journalist for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who holds both U.S. and Russian citizenship. She had been detained since October of last year.

She held the hands of the president and vice president, speaking with them for a few minutes before running into the arms of her daughters and husband.

One of her daughters, Miriam, will be 13 years old on Friday. On the tarmac, as Biden wished her happy birthday, Miriam ran to her mother, crying, saying, “I love you so much, I can’t believe you’re here.”

After the other reunions, Whelan returned to Biden, who spoke with him a little longer before taking off the American flag pin on his lapel and giving it to Whelan, who swiftly put it on the collar of his shirt.

Kurmasheva’s husband wore a USA t-shirt and an enormous smile. He lifted his arms into the air, posing for the cameras with his newly reunited family.

Biden felt so invigorated by the event he jogged over to other reporters to answer some more questions. 

Whelan said he felt pretty good — even after the long day of travel from Russia to Turkey and then to the U.S. He wasn’t ready to celebrate his freedom, he said, until the plane had reached British airspace, where he finally felt safe.

It was not immediately known when Whelan would return to Michigan. His parents live in Manchester, southwest of Ann Arbor. He said only that he was headed next to Texas.

And now that he’s back on American soil, Whelan said one of the first things he’d like to do is get a steak.

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler.