by Judy Reed

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fire involving injuries at White Creek Country Estates in Solon Township Tuesday.

Multiple fire departments and deputies from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office responded about 5:14 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, to 15290 Pecan Avenue, in White Creek Country Estates (White Creek Ave NE and Egner St NE) on a residential fire, preceded by several explosions.

A 50-year-old man, who was outside of the residence, was severely injured after a fire and multiple explosions occurred in an attached carport. According to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, neighbors pulled the victim out of the carport.

According to Sgt. Joy Matthews, when officers arrived on the scene, they saw butane tanks inside the carport and smoke and flames coming from the house. They immediately evacuated several nearby residences and provided emergency medical aid to the victim who sustained significant injuries to his hands and burns to his body. He was transported to Spectrum Hospital and is currently undergoing treatment. The victim’s mother was inside the residence at the time of the fire but was not injured. Both the victim and his mother live at the residence.

Michigan State Police Bomb Squad and Arson Investigators responded to the scene after homemade fireworks were located.

Solon Fire Department, Algoma Fire Department, Cedar Springs Fire Department, Kent City Fire Department, and Sand Lake Fire Department all assisted with the fire.

According to Solon firefighter Matt Schievink, the carport and a shed were completely destroyed and, while the home was left standing, the back corner was gone and considered a complete loss. Two other homes nearby were also damaged by shrapnel from the explosions.

Schievink said that one of the things that made the fire difficult to fight was that the explosion ruptured a natural gas line and they had to wait for both DTE Energy to arrive to turn off the gas, and Consumers Energy to turn off the power. That meant they could not go inside the residence and could only battle it from outside. He said it took a good hour to put the fire out. They finally cleared at 9:51 p.m.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement Nov. 9-29

To remind everyone about the importance of buckling up, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) is launching a Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign that runs November 9 through November 29.

“Three out of four people ejected from a vehicle in a crash will die,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director. “Wearing a seat belt is the simplest thing you can do to reduce injuries and save lives. It’s the easiest decision you will ever make. Buckle up every trip, every time.”  

Officers from police departments, sheriff’s offices and the Michigan State Police will be conducting seat belt enforcement across the state during the three-week period. The campaign includes the Thanksgiving holiday. During the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday weekend, there were seven fatalities on Michigan roads. Four of the seven deaths involved drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts.

In Michigan, the seat belt usage rate stands at 94.4 percent. The national seat belt use rate in 2019 was 90.7 percent. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved 14,955 lives nationwide in 2017. Seat belts are the single most effective way to stay alive in a crash. According to the NHTSA, buckling up can reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash by 45 percent. 

Michigan law requires drivers, front-seat passengers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position to be buckled up. The fine and associated costs for not wearing a seat belt is $65.  Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4’9” tall, and children under 4 years old must be in the back seat.

The OHSP coordinates the Click It or Ticket effort, which is supported by federal traffic safety funds. 

By Judy Reed

In December 2019, The Post reported that Troopers from the Michigan State Police Hart Post were investigating the death of an Ensley Township man whose body was found after his mobile home burned.

According to Sand Lake Fire Chief Ed Holtzlander, they were dispatched at 12:23 a.m. on Friday, November 29, to a fully engulfed residential fire at 9300 E. 128^th St. in Ensley Township, Newaygo County. 

Both Sand Lake and Grant Fire Departments battled the blaze at the single-wide mobile home. After the fire was extinguished, firefighters found the 59-year-old resident and only occupant of the home, Rodolfo Quesada, deceased. The MSP said he was identified using fingerprint identification technology.

Chief Holtzlander said the state fire marshal told him the cause of the fire was undetermined.

The MSP was waiting on autopsy results for Mr. Quesada to determine his cause of death. 

The Post was recently informed by MSP Spl/Lt. David Cope that following the autopsy, the cause of death was found to be from smoke inhalation and the death has been determined to be an accident.

Michigan State Police Troopers from the Lakeview Post are looking for Eric David Kramer, 45, of Sidney Township. He is wanted for assaulting his wife and threatening to kill her with a handgun over the weekend.

Troopers responded to the felonious assault call involving a firearm on Carlson Rd north of W. Sidney Rd at about 2 a.m., Sunday, September 1.

The investigation found that Kramer had assaulted his wife, Jennifer Callaghan. He threatened her at her residence on Carlson Rd with what was said to be a five-shot revolver handgun, with white handle. He pointed the handgun at her and advised that “either he or she would die tonight.” Kramer then grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to her car where he then struck her with the revolver on the left temple causing injury. He continued to assault her by throwing her on the ground and forcing his body weight on her. Jennifer was able to get back into the vehicle and drive off. Kramer then got into his vehicle and left the residence. Jennifer followed him but disengaged at southbound M-66 and Sidney Rd. Troopers searched several locations in the area, however Kramer was unable to be located.

Kramer was said to be driving a 2014 Toyota Camry, white in color, bearing Georgia plate RAX2688. Vehicle was also said to have a sheet metal union workers sticker in the back window.

Suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous. If located please use caution.

State Police were assisted on scene by, Montcalm EMS and Montcalm County Central Dispatch.

The Michigan State Police (MSP) is urging residents to discard expired, unused and unwanted pills during National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this Saturday, one of two annual events held in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other law enforcement agencies.

MSP’s 30 posts will participate in the one-day Take-Back effort from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, by serving as drop-off points. All collected pills will be destroyed. No liquids, inhalers, patches, or syringes will be accepted.

“With opioid and prescription drug abuse, accidental poisonings and overdoses becoming all too common, I strongly urge Michiganders to use this opportunity to check what is in your medicine cabinet and then properly dispose of any medications you no longer need,” said Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the MSP.

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is held twice a year, in April and October. During the October 2017 effort, MSP posts collected roughly 802 pounds of prescription drugs.

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. Further, disposing of unused medicines by flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash can pose safety and health hazards.

Find your closest MSP Post at www.michigan.gov/msp. Additional collection sites across the state can be found by going to www.dea.gov.

Anyone who is unable to participate on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day can anonymously surrender their prescription drugs at any MSP post, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.

The City of Cedar Springs also collects unused prescription drugs daily Monday through Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. No liquids, inhalers, patches, or syringes will be accepted.

MSP seeking volunteers for faith-based community policing initiative

The Michigan State Police (MSP) is looking for volunteers to join its CAUTION initiative, which stands for Community Action United Team in Our Neighborhood. CAUTION is a partnership between the MSP and clergy and faith group members of all faiths that works to increase trust and communication between law enforcement and residents. 

The MSP created CAUTION in 2012 at the Flint Post. Since that time, the program has expanded to include faith leaders in Saginaw, Inkster, Muskegon Heights and Benton Harbor, with a total of 103 trained volunteers currently participating in the program. Due to the program’s success, CAUTION is expanding statewide in 2018 to each of MSP’s 30 posts.

CAUTION members meet regularly with post personnel to encourage dialog and information-sharing. They can also be activated to respond alongside law enforcement at crime scenes to ease tensions and provide emotional support to residents. CAUTION members will partner with MSP members at civic events and diversionary events that seek to deter future criminal behavior in their communities. 

The MSP provides various training to CAUTION volunteers, some which includes courses in critical incident defusing/debriefing, security in places of worship, responding with law enforcement in a crisis, avoiding caregiver burnout and clergy’s role at a critical incident scene. There is also an annual statewide CAUTION conference.

Interested individuals can contact their nearest Community Service Trooper (CST) to learn more. 

For the Rockford Post, contact Tpr. Martin Miller at 616-866-4411.

For the Lakeview Post, contact F/Lt. Kevin Sweeney at 989-352-8444.

Joel Kinsey, a 2016 Tri County graduate, was killed in a traffic crash on 14 Mile Rd on Jan. 4.

Several people were injured and one person died in a crash on 14 Mile Rd, in Oakfield Township, last week Thursday.

According to the Michigan State Police, the crash occurred shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday, January 4, west of Wabasis Ave. The investigation showed that an eastbound vehicle driven by Joseph Hanna, 39, of Sparta, tried to pass a vehicle driven by Jerry Kinsey, 48, of Sand Lake, and the two vehicles collided. The collision resulted in both vehicles losing control and Kinsey’s vehicle spinning into the westbound lane, where it was struck by a van driven by Gail Gansmiller, 48, of Sheridan. The passenger in Kinsey’s vehicle, his 20-year-old son, Joel Kinsey, of Sand Lake, was killed, and Jerry Kinsey was transported to Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids in critical condition.  

Hanna and Gansmiller were treated for minor injuries. 

Police said that speed and alcohol were not believed to be factors in the crash.  

Assisting at the scene was Oakfield Township Fire, Courtland Township Fire, the Kent County Sheriff Department, and Rockford Ambulance.

Joel Kinsey was a 2016 graduate of Tri-County High School and was presently serving as a LCpl in the U.S. Marines. He is the son of Jerry Kinsey and Nicole (Fernando Bernal) Kinsey.

Click here to see his obituary.

A crash involving an SUV hauling a boat and passenger car sent two people to the hospital Sunday. Photo by Bernie Hale.

According to police, a car driven by a 29-year-old Cedar Springs man was traveling north on Olin Lakes and went through the stop sign at 17 Mile Road, where he struck an eastbound SUV driven by a 67-year-old Cedar Springs man. The SUV, which was hauling a trailer with a boat, rolled and ended up against the fence of a pasture. The boat also ended up alongside the fence.

The SUV held two passengers in addition to the driver: a 30-year-old male and a 66-year-old female.

According to Solon Deputy Chief Chris Paige, two people in the SUV were transported to the hospital for minor injuries.

Names of those involved in the crash have not been released.

Assisting MSP and Solon at the scene was Algoma Fire and Rescue, Rockford Ambulance, and the Kent County Sheriff Dept.

Twenty-eight become State Police Troopers 

Twenty-eight new Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers will report for work at MSP posts across the state next week after graduating from the 132nd Trooper Recruit School last Friday, February 10.

Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the MSP, administered the Oath of Office during the ceremony at the Training Academy.

“These men and women should be very proud of themselves today,” said graduation keynote speaker, Governor Rick Snyder. “They have what it takes to join the elite ranks of the Michigan State Police. We wish our newest troopers safety each day. My hope is that they enjoy long and rewarding careers serving and protecting the residents of our great state.”

In her address to the graduates, MSP Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue said, “In everything you do, I ask that you provide ‘Service With a Purpose.’ Michigan’s citizens are depending on you, as am I. You have an opportunity to positively impact our communities. Do what’s right, do your best and treat others the way you want to be treated.”

Tpr. Tyler Rutkowski was elected Class Orator by his fellow recruits and spoke on behalf of the graduating class at the ceremony. Other award recipients included Tpr. Jacob Grinwis, who received the Academic Achievement Award, Tpr. Brandon Coil who received the Marksmanship Award, Tpr. Tyler

Ruffer who received the Team Building Award and Tpr. Curtis Alward who received the Outstanding Performance Award.

Four of the trooper grads will be serve in the sixth district. Tpr. Grant Huber, of Clarkston, will serve at the Rockford post; Tpr. Jacob Grinwis, of Whitehall, will serve at the Hart post; Tpr. Maya Hairston-Moore, of Lansing, will serve at the Mount Pleasant post; and Miguel Mendez-Ibanez, of Lansing, will also serve at the Mount Pleasant post.

The 132nd Trooper Recruit School began on Aug. 28, 2016, when 37 prospective troopers reported to the MSP Training Academy in Lansing. For the past 24 weeks, recruits received training in firearms, water safety, defensive tactics, patrol techniques, report writing, ethics, first aid, criminal law, crime scene processing and precision driving.

In order to be selected to attend the academy, all applicants had to pass a stringent selection process that included a physical fitness test, background investigation and hiring interview.

As part of the department’s commitment to “Providing Service With A Purpose,” the recruits participated in a community outreach project in which they assisted in building a playground at Wacousta Elementary School.

The 132nd Trooper Recruit School is the fourth of four trooper recruit schools started in 2016, as well as a motor carrier officer recruit school; a first in the department’s 100-year history.

The MSP is actively recruiting for a trooper recruit school anticipated to begin in June; interested candidates should visit www.michigan.gov/mspjobs for more information on how to apply.

Including these new troopers, there are currently more than 1,050 troopers assigned statewide.

Trooper, Motor Carrier Officer and Civilian of the Year recognized 

Michigan State Police (MSP) Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue is pleased to announce the 2016 recipients of the Dr. Carl A. Gerstacker Trooper of the Year, Motor Carrier Officer of the Year and Floyd R. Bell Jr. Civilian of the Year awards. They received the awards at a special ceremony in Lansing on January 26.

Trooper of the Year 

Trooper Matthew Kiser

Trooper Matthew Kiser of the Metro North Post, a 20-year veteran of the department, was named Trooper of the Year.

The Gerstacker Award recognizes the MSP trooper or sergeant who symbolizes outstanding professional ethics, dedication to duty and a concern for giving back to their community. The late Dr. Carl A. Gerstacker, former chairman of Dow Chemical Company, created the award in 1961.

Kiser is a two-time recipient of the Cpl. Samuel A. Mapes Criminal Patrol and Investigation Award, recognized for excelling in looking past the traffic stop to identify serious crimes and close investigations with felony arrests. He is highly regarded by his fellow troopers because of his valuable expertise in narcotics investigations and tactical situations.

“Trooper Kiser’s exemplary work performance, extensive community involvement and leadership skills make him an excellent choice for Trooper of the Year,” said Etue. “We truly thank him for two decades of service with a purpose.”

Kiser has been instrumental in several MSP community initiatives, including Stuff a Blue Goose and Special Olympics Field Day. He also participates in programs at local schools and gives presentations for Families Against Narcotics in Oakland County.

Kiser enlisted with the department in 1996, graduating as a member of the 114th Trooper Recruit School. Prior to serving at the Metro North Post, he has served at the Sandusky and Detroit posts. Kiser served in the United States Navy from 1989 to 1994.

Motor Carrier Officer of the Year

Motor Carrier Officer Daniel Priebe

Motor Carrier Officer Daniel Priebe of the Lakeview Post, a 17-year veteran of the department, was named Motor Carrier Officer of the Year.

The Motor Carrier Officer of the Year Award recognizes the MSP motor carrier officer who symbolizes outstanding professional ethics, dedication to duty and concern for giving back to their community.

“Motor Carrier Officer Priebe is known for his enthusiasm and effectiveness. When he sees a need, he takes action,” said Etue. “His reputation of outstanding work performance, commercial vehicle enforcement knowledge and commitment to service make him an excellent choice for the Motor Carrier Officer of the Year Award.”

Priebe took it upon himself to host an annual farmers’ forum after identifying a need to get vital information to farmers in his post area. The first forum had 13 attendees and in just six years it grew to include more than 150 participants.

Priebe displays a positive image while on duty and is also very involved in his community, striving to form new relationships there as well. For example, Priebe connected with a local trucking company, who also leads an organization that builds and delivers bikes to kids, and enlisted fellow co-workers to assemble and deliver bikes before Christmas. He now participates in and attends the delivery every year.

He also makes time to coach a number of youth sports and serve as a referee for an indoor soccer league, and routinely gives presentations for new commercial drivers about what they can expect at weigh stations and during traffic stops.

Priebe enlisted with the MSP in 2001, graduating as a member of the 13th Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School. Prior to serving at the Lakeview Post, he has served at the Ionia and Newaygo posts. He served in the United States Air Force from 1987 to 1992.

Civilian of the Year 

Mr. Brian McEachern

Mr. Brian McEachern of the MSP Intelligence Operations Division, a nearly 25-year veteran of the department, has been named Civilian of the Year. McEachern is currently a departmental supervisor at the Negaunee Regional Communication Center.

The MSP Civilian of the Year Award is named in honor of the late Floyd R. Bell Jr., a 42-year employee of the MSP, who continuously demonstrated commitment and dedication to the department and his community.

“Mr. McEachern is a true leader and an asset to both our department and his community,” said Etue. “His undying dedication and caring spirit for all he is involved in makes him an obvious choice for the Civilian of the Year Award.”

McEachern’s management style can be seen in the peer-led quality assurance team he developed. His approach has allowed for many improvements and boosted morale among co-workers.

Mentoring holds a special place in his heart because McEachern understands that successful leaders are developed. He enjoys showing co-workers not only how to complete the job, but to be proud doing it.

Outside of work, McEachern leads a youth development program and is deeply committed to his diocese, where he is training to become a permanent deacon. He organized what has become an annual community event to feed several hundred people in need, provides school supplies for children and spends time with the Shriners to get children where they need to go for vital medical treatment.

McEachern started with the department in 1992. He attended an accelerated college program earning a bachelor’s degree from Kaplan University within one year and with the highest distinction—Summa Cum Laude.

One man was arrested after leading police on a high speed chase.

A man was arrested in Solon Township Tuesday after leading Michigan State Police on a high speed chase on US131 and west on 17 Mile Road.

According to Trooper Bozek, of the Michigan State Police, he tried to make a traffic stop on the silver SUV on US131, when it went by at a high rate of speed. The driver refused to stop, and instead reached speeds of over 100 mph while MSP pursued. The driver exited the expressway and then got back on, and finally exited at 17 Mile Road, and pulled over just west of Meijer.

According to a witness at Delta Tron, he heard the sirens and looked out, and said he saw police race to the vehicle and pull the driver out. He said there was also an adult passenger and young child.

Trooper Bozek said the man was arrested on outstanding warrants, and possible drugs found in the search of the car. “We won’t know for sure until they are tested,”  said Bozek. He said the man had no current address.

All 29 Michigan State Police (MSP) canines now have Global Positioning System (GPS) collars to help with the search and retrieval of not only the canines themselves if they are lost, but also the potential tracking of an injured canine handler.
“In November last year, the department lost its first canine during a search,” said Sgt. David Yount, commander of the MSP Canine Unit. “If we are in this situation again, the GPS collars will provide an efficient way to track and retrieve a missing canine.”
The GPS units, which cost approximately $5,000 to outfit the entire Canine Unit, were purchased with donated funds.
MSP canine teams are stationed statewide to provide assistance with tracking criminal suspects, locating lost or missing persons, conducting building searches, and locating stolen property or articles discarded by criminal suspects. Additionally, each dog is trained in a second area of expertise, either explosives detection, narcotics detection, cadaver detection, or accelerants detection.