Jacob Abraham Savickas

By Judy Reed

The man who robbed the Cedar Springs Admiral gas station and a string of other businesses here in Michigan and Ohio (including two banks) is now in custody at the Kent County Correctional Facility.

According to the Kent County Sheriff Department, Jacob Abraham Savickas, 33, was arrested without incident on Wednesday, August 9, at a local hotel, by the FBI Fugitive Task Force. He was lodged at the jail on several warrants, including bank robbery, larceny from a person, fleeing and eluding a police officer, parole absconder, and being a habitual offender.

Savickas started his crime spree Wednesday, July 26, when he is suspected of an unarmed robbery of the J&H Mobil gas station at 4404 Clyde Park Ave., Wyoming. He then robbed the Admiral gas station on the corner of Main and Muskegon Street in Cedar Springs the next day, Thursday, July 27. According to the Kent County Sheriff Department, the robbery occurred about 9:22 a.m. The clerk told police that a white male in his late 20s came in and demanded money. He was described as wearing a white shirt, blue baseball cap, and having facial hair.

Police found him at the rest stop on US-131 near 10 Mile Rd., but after a brief foot chase, he got back into his car and sped away. Police pursued him, but terminated the chase on 10 Mile Rd. The Admiral clerk had reportedly told police that he had a small child with him.

Savickas drove to Indiana later that day, and is suspected of robbing two more gas stations that day in South Bend—the Marathon gas station on W. Western Ave, and Low Bob’s, 4505 N. Ameritech Dr.

The next day, Friday, July 28, Savickas is suspected of committing an unarmed bank robbery at the Beacon Credit Union, 820 North Broadway, in Peru, Indiana. On Tuesday, August 1, Savickas was back in Michigan, and is suspected of robbing the Next Door Food Store at 4616 Alpine Ave., N.W., where he struck the clerk with his vehicle. He is also suspected of robbing the Independent Bank, 3090 Plainfield Av NE on Wednesday morning August 2.

Savickas was previously convicted in 2015 of retail fraud, first degree. He was arrested after he tried to steal plasma cutters from Family Farm and Home in Cedar Springs. Employees recognized him at the time as someone who previously stole welders and interrupted the theft of the plasma cutters. He fled but was arrested and held on six charges, several for retail fraud at other locations. He was sentenced to a minimum of one year and a maximum of five years in prison. His record on the Michigan Corrections website shows him listed as a parole absconder as of July 6.

By Judy Reed

A few weeks ago we reported that the Kent County Sheriff’s Department was investigating numerous nighttime home invasions in Cannon Township, specifically the Bostwick Lake area, where purses and wallets were stolen. Police believed the suspect was the same person they saw on video exiting a vehicle at the Marathon gas station on 14 Mile Rd (near Lincoln Lake Ave) that had been stolen in a Grandville home invasion.

Police arrested the suspect, Corey James VanSuilichem, 32, and charged him with receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle. Then, on August 3, they charged him with three counts of first degree home invasion—two for the Bostwick Lake area, and one for Grandville. According to Sgt. Joel Roon, additional victims will be included in the plea agreement.

VanSuilichem is believed to have broken into or attempted to break into over a dozen homes.

On August 9, he was also charged with being a habitual offender, 4^th offense.

He previously served nine years on prison, from 2003 to 2012, for four counts of home invasion and one count of larceny from a motor vehicle for crimes committed in Ottawa County.

In February 2017, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years probation for maintaining a drug house in Belding, because he was growing more marijuana than allowed on his card. And, as of June 30, he was listed as a probation absconder.

“We are proud of the tireless work our investigators put into this case and we are always grateful for the many community members who banded together and helped us, and also helped each other through a tense couple of weeks,” the Kent County Sheriff Department said in a statement on their Facebook page.

The Admiral Gas Station, 194 S. Main, in Cedar Springs, was robbed on Thursday, July 27. Post photo by J. Reed.

Jacob Abraham Savickas is suspected of robbing a string of businesses in Michigan and Indiana.

By Judy Reed

Police are asking for the public’s to help to locate the man wanted for a string of robberies in Michigan and Indiana, including the robbery Thursday, July 27, of the Cedar Springs Admiral gas station.

Savickas is driving this blue Oldsmobile Intrigue.

Police are looking for Jacob Abraham Savickas, 33. He is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches, 170 pounds, with short brown hair and a beard. He is driving a blue/purple Oldsmobile Intrigue 4D, Michigan plate DNL1257. He reportedly has family in the Howard City area.

If anyone sees him or knows where he is, please call the Kent County Sheriff Department at 616-632-6125, or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.

Savickas started his crime spree last Wednesday, July 26, when he is suspected of an unarmed robbery of the J&H Mobil gas station at 4404 Clyde Park Ave., Wyoming. He then robbed the Admiral gas station on the corner of Main and Muskegon Street in Cedar Springs the next day, Thursday, July 27. According to the Kent County Sheriff Department, the robbery occurred about 9:22 a.m. The clerk told police that a white male in his late 20s came in and demanded money. He was described as wearing a white shirt, blue baseball cap, and having facial hair.

Police found him at the rest stop on US-131 near 10 Mile Rd., but after a brief foot chase, he got back into his car and sped away. Police pursued him, but terminated the chase on 10 Mile Rd. The Admiral clerk had reportedly told police that he had a small child with him.

Savickas drove to Indiana later that day, and is suspected of robbing two more gas stations that day in South Bend—the Marathon gas station on W. Western Ave, and Low Bob’s, 4505 N. Ameritech Dr.

The next day, Friday, July 28, Savickas is suspected of committing an unarmed bank robbery at the Beacon Credit Union, 820 North Broadway, in Peru, Indiana. On Tuesday, August 1, Savickas was back in Michigan, and is suspected of robbing the Next Door Food Store at 4616 Alpine Ave., N.W., where he struck the clerk with his vehicle. He is also suspected of robbing the Independent Bank, 3090 Plainfield Av NE on Wednesday morning August 2.

Multiple law enforcement agencies are looking for Savickas, including the FBI.

“We believe this will continue and potentially escalate until Savickas is located and arrested,” said Det. Mike Tanis, with the Kent County Sheriff’s Dept.

Savickas was convicted in 2015 of retail fraud, first degree. He was arrested for trying to steal plasma cutters from Family Farm and Home in Cedar Springs. Employees recognized him at the time as someone who previously stole welders and interrupted the theft of the plasma cutters. He fled but was arrested and held on six charges, several for retail fraud. He was sentenced to a minimum of one year and a maximum of five years in prison. His record on the Michigan Corrections website shows him listed as a parole absconder as of July 6.

Current warrants out for him include parole absconder, two counts of larceny from a person, and fleeing and eluding.

The last time the Admiral Gas station in Cedar Springs was robbed was four years ago. It was robbed once in 2010; once in 2011; twice in 2012; and once in 2013.

Michael Skupin

Michael Skupin also pled guilty to a larceny charge

An Oakland County jury convicted Michael Skupin, 54, of Farmington Hills, of four counts of possession of child sexually abusive materials in front of Oakland County 6th Circuit Court Judge Wendy Potts last Friday, November 18.

“The children in these videos and images were exploited, and each time the images were shared and viewed continued their suffering,” said Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. “My hope is that today’s conviction will bring some closure to the families and the children that are victims in this case.”

Skupin, a former contestant on the television reality show Survivor, was charged by Schuette in February 2016 with both the counts of possession of child sexually abusive materials and financial crimes of larceny by conversion and racketeering. He pled guilty to one count of Larceny by Conversion on Monday, November 21, and agreed to pay $30,000 in restitution to his victims. He entered his plea in front of Oakland County 6th Circuit Court Judge Wendy Potts.

Each charge could bring up to four years in prison. Sentencing will be held on December 27, 2016 at 8:30 am.

Case Background

An investigation began into Skupin after victims from his alleged Ponzi scheme contacted a local news reporter. It is alleged that Michael Skupin recruited investors and friends to take part in his “gifting scheme” called Pay It Forward. Victims allegedly made $10,000 cash investments in the scheme. Their money would then cycle through a chart in which participants were eventually paid out of other new investors’ money. The scheme was discovered when eventually there were no new investors signing up and most people in the scheme lost all of their money.

Skupin’s laptop was searched in conjunction with the Ponzi scheme investigation. During the search, investigators discovered images of underage children in sexual situations. The images are alleged to belong to Skupin.

Skupin was on two seasons of Survivor—Survivor: Australian Outback (2001), and Survivor: Phillipines (2012). Many remember him as the man who passed out and fell into the fire on live TV and was medivaced by helicopter to a hospital in Australia.

Michael Anthony Slater

A 26-year-old Ravenna man was arraigned on multiple charges this week for breaking into a Sparta business.

According to Sparta Police Chief Andrew Milanowski, the Sparta Police Department was dispatched to the Sparta Sport shop 169 N. State Street, last Friday, September 4, on a Breaking & Entering complaint. A door had been pried open at the back of the building, and at least one firearm was missing.

Police checked video surveillance footage and found that a white male appeared to enter the building alone and started casing the area. A short time later the interior alarm went off and the subject fled the building. While fleeing, the man grabbed a rifle.

The investigating officer put out a broadcast to area departments informing them of the incident and a short time later received a call from the Muskegon County Sheriff Department and the Kent County Sheriff Department. Both shared information on a possible suspect, who they were also looking at, in similar type incidents.

A search warrant was obtained for the subject’s residence and his vehicles. The firearm stolen from Sparta Sport Shop was recovered in the search. Police interviewed the suspect, and he was then arrested and lodged in the Kent County Correctional Facility.

The suspect, Michael Anthony Slater, 26, of Ravenna, was arraigned on Tuesday, September 8, on charges of Breaking & Entering a Building with Intent to Commit Larceny, Possession of Burglary Tools, Larceny of a Firearm, Felon in Possession of a Firearm & a Misdemeanor Warrant out of Muskegon County.

This case was a joint effort of the Muskegon County Sheriff Department, Kent County Sheriff Department and the Sparta Police Department.

Anthony Popielarz

A man who was charged in February with stealing a credit card out of someone’s car last December, has been arrested again—this time for stealing blank checks.

According to Cedar Springs Police Chief Roger Parent, Officer Mandy Stahl took a complaint on October 22 that a book of blank checks had been stolen from a local business office, which resulted in some of them being forged and cashed at local banks.

Police arrested Anthony David Popielarz, on Friday, November 8, for the crime.

Popielarz reportedly had friends or acquaintances who cashed the checks in their own name instead of his. Reasons they gave for doing that was that he didn’t have identification and didn’t have a bank account of his own.

“Fortunately, the prosecutor decided that it appears they were in fact naive in their actions and did not charge those who assisted Anthony,” said Chief Parent.

Popielarz is facing felony charges of Larceny in a Building and Uttering and Publishing. The Prosecutor’s Office added “Habitual Offender—Third Offence Notice.” Bond was set at $10,000.00 cash/surety and he was arraigned Tuesday, November 12, on the most recent charges.

His Probation Officer also added a Probation Violation Detainer. Popielarz was on probation through the 17^th Circuit Court for felony charges in December, 2012. Those charges stemmed from the theft and use of another’s credit card. He is now in the Kent County Jail and serving his sentence for the probation violation.

A Wyoming couple has been arrested and charged with larceny of a building on W. Stanton Road, in Sidney Township.

Montcalm County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a larceny from a building on September 20, 2013. A neighbor contacted a relative of the homeowner after seeing a suspicious male and female on the property loading scrap metal into a vehicle. The relative then contacted the property owner and the Sheriff’s Office, who responded to the scene. The man and woman were attempting to leave the scene as Sheriff’s Deputies arrived and apprehended them.

The Deputies were able to determine, through witness interviews, that the couple had taken items from both the exterior and interior of the property. Connie Lynn Whitney, 37, and Gavier Madera Sanchez, 32, were arrested and lodged in the Montcalm County Jail. They were arraigned Wednesday in Montcalm County 64B District Court. Both have been charged with larceny under $200 and are currently out on bond.

Three 15-year-old students from Godwin Heights High School are suspected of stealing items from the Cedar Springs High School locker room during a basketball game.

Cedar Springs Police Officer Chad Tucker investigated a complaint on February 29 that during the Cedar Springs-Godwin Heights High School basketball game the night before, someone entered the locker room area and stole money and items from gym bags and lockers.

According to Cedar Springs Police Roger Parent, security staff at the school provided quality video of the suspects entering and leaving the locker room. “Communications had already begun between the two schools and the Administration at Godwin Heights was very helpful with identifying the students involved,” he said.

Officer Tucker was able to recover a stolen computer (Galaxy Tablet). A set of headphones and some money is still missing. The three juvenile suspects have been referred to the Kent County Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office for charges of larceny in a building.

Montcalm County Sheriff deputies received a call early Thursday morning, June 30, that a man was a man going in and out of the tents at the flea market in Trufant. The man also tried later to get into the caller’s car and caused damage. When Deputies arrived they investigated and found money was missing from the vendors at the flea market.

Meanwhile, homeowner Tony Sorenson was awakened by noises downstairs in his home, and thought it was his son. He went to check on him and found him still sleeping. He then noticed several patrol cars outside shining spotlights in the area of his home. Sorenson heard another noise and turned around to find a man standing behind him. He grabbed the man by the arm and took him outside to deputies. The intruder matched the description of the man police were looking for in the flea market break-ins and he was taken into custody.

A large amount of money was found on the man, and he was arrested on numerous charges, including larceny, illegal entry, malicious destruction of property, and disorderly conduct. The man was identified as a 37-year-old from White Pigeon, Michigan. The case is still under investigation.

A Belding man was arrested last week after he illegally removed property from a vacant house southwest of downtown Greenville.
The Montcalm County Sheriff Department reported that a neighbor called and said they saw a man removing items from an unoccupied residence that was for sale at 10061 Fletcher Road. Deputies responded to the scene, and were in the process of interviewing the witness and property owner when the witness saw the suspect’s vehicle drive past the scene. Deputies initiated a traffic stop and identified the suspect as a 46-year-old Belding man.
The man told officers he was in the process of purchasing the home, and that the realtor told him he could begin cleaning up the property. Deputies contacted the realtor in charge of the property, and they refuted his claim. They said no one had made an offer on the property, nor had they given anyone permission to clean it up. The realtor did tell officers that the man had been speaking with them expressing interest in the property, however.
The man was arrested and lodged in the Montcalm County jail for larceny from a building and driving while license suspended. The incident remains under investigation.