Troopers from the Michigan State Police Lakeview Post have arrested a 29-year-old Coral man for causing a crash that costed another man his life last summer.

The crash occurred on July 4, 2017 on Kendaville Rd, west of Bailey Rd, in Maple Valley Township. Police investigation showed that Guy Petherbridge, 61, also of Coral, had stopped his vehicle on the road after striking a deer. The car he was driving was then struck by an eastbound Ford truck traveling at a high rate of speed, which was driven by the 29-year-old man. The impact caused the car to split in half and catch fire. Petherbridge suffered fatal injuries from the crash. The driver of the Ford truck suffered minor injuries. 

The Montcalm County Prosecutor’s office authorized a warrant for Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death and Reckless Driving Causing Death. The subject was arrested at his home in Coral and lodged at the Montcalm County Jail without incident. His name has not yet been released.

Pictured is Desmond Smith, Champion in the 4/6 age group.

By Barbra Chong

This weekend WMP traveled to Grand Valley State University and Lakeview. 80 lb Blake Peasley, 9/10 age group, entered the Lakeview tournament. Peasley battled into the Finals, going 3-0 to take home a Championship title.

WMP had 14 grapplers enter the GVSU tournament and 11 placed in the top 5. 80 lb Blake Hammer, 11/12 Novice age group, finished in 5^th Place.

52 lb Kaleb Pautke, 7/8 age group and 55 lb Aaiden Vasquez, 7/8 age group, finished in 3^rd Place.

63 lb Luke Egan, 9/10 age group, finished 2^nd Place.

Taking home championship titles were 64 lb Quinten Cassiday, 7/8 age group; 67 lb Tyler Parmeter, 7/8 age group; 52 lb Desmond Smith, 4/6 age group; 61 lb Selina Stalker, 4/6 age group; 59 lb Josh Vasquez, 9/10 age group; 55 lb Kellen Weckesser, 7/8 age group and 49 lb Blake Werkema, 4/6 age group.

“Watching these kids build momentum each week is exciting. Their passion and drive is displayed every time they step on the mat. I am thankful for my athletes and the support of their parents,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

Troopers that win the Mapes award have the first opportunity to drive the new special edition black and gold patrol cars, painted to resemble the MSP’s iconic 1937 Ford Model 74 patrol car.

The Michigan State Police (MSP) is pleased to announce that several troopers from the Rockford, Lakeview, and Mount Pleasant MSP Posts are recipients of the Cpl. Samuel A. Mapes Criminal Patrol and Investigation Award. They were recognized at a ceremony in Lansing on Jan. 11, 2017.

Corporal Mapes, an early pioneer in criminal patrol and investigation, was killed in the line of duty during the prohibition era. The annual award honors the top five percent of troopers in each district for looking “past the traffic stop” to excel in proactive criminal patrol and criminal investigations closed by felony arrests.

The 2017 Col. Sam Mapes Award recipients are:

Trooper Cory Zimmerman

Trooper Jim Yeager

Trooper Ben Stadler

Lakeview Post:

Trooper Ben Stadler, with five years at Lakeview

Trooper Jim Yeager, with 23 years at Lakeview

Trooper Cory Zimmerman, with five years at Lakeview.

Mount Pleasant Post: (no photos available)

Trooper Dillard Hayes, at Mount Pleasant 1-1/2 years

Trooper Michael Zeilinger, at Mount Pleasant six years

Trooper Brent Haag, at Mount Pleasant two years

Rockford Post: (no photos available)

Tpr. Chris Boven

Tpr. Jordan Lohman

Tpr. James Luttrull

Tpr. Adam Keasler

Each award recipient receives a special service ribbon to wear on their uniform. It includes seven blue stars in honor of Corporal Mapes, who was the seventh MSP trooper to die in the line of duty.

In addition, top award recipients have the first opportunity to drive special edition black and gold patrol cars, which were recently added to the MSP patrol fleet in honor of the department’s 100^th Anniversary. Fifty fully equipped 2016 Dodge Chargers are painted to resemble MSP’s iconic 1937 Ford Model 74 patrol car.

For more information about the MSP’s 100^th Anniversary, visit www.michigan.gov/MSP or follow the conversation on social media using #MSP100.

Cedar Springs junior heavyweight Patrick Depiazza went undefeated with five wins at Tri County.

By Barbra Chong

The Cedar Springs High School Wrestling team traveled to Tri County on December 12, for the first invite of the 2015-2016 season. The Varsity team is almost at full strength, missing a 103 lb weight class that caused a void this weekend. With the void at 103, this created a 6-point deficit each dual. They defeated Kenowa Hills with a score of 65-9, then defeated Lakeview with a score of 53-22, and continued the winning streak against Pine River with a score of 35-25.

The next dual was a loss against Comstock Park, with a score of 23-43, and finished the day against Tri County with another loss of 18-38. Out of the eight teams competing, Cedar Springs finished the tournament in third place. Comstock Park took second place, and Tri County took first.

The boys wrestle for their individual score but each individual contributes to the overall team score. The individual records are:

Heavyweight Patrick Depiazza who went undefeated with 5 wins; 125 lb Jordan Ringler, 140 lb Jacob Galinis, 145 lb Lucus Pienton, 152 lb Anthony Topolski and 171/189 lb Ryan Ringler, with 4 wins each; 112 lb Logan Hull and 171/189 lb Chris Shaffer with 3 wins each; 130 lb Jordan Andrus and 135 lb Jesse Empie with 2 wins each; and 119 lb Patrick Fliearman, 160 lb Gage Gardner and TJ Brecken with 1 win each.

The upset of the day was caused by freshman Ryan Ringler, when he wrestled up a weight class and beat Tri County’s Senior state qualifier, Jarrod Tague, by regular decision 11-9.

“The boys strolled into the tournament with their typical Red Hawk swagger. They were tenacious on their feet and ferocious on the mat,” said Varsity Head Coach Nick Emery.

“We have a young team overloaded with potential and starving for glory. If you enjoy wrestling and are looking for entertainment, make the trip to Forest Hills Central to watch the Kent County Championships starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 19, to support the team and be a part of something special.”

The Junior Varsity took five wrestlers to compete against Tri County on Friday, December 11. The top placers were two freshmen—Aaron Smith who went undefeated with a record of 4-0 and Cody McHenry with a record of 3-1.

The Michigan State Police Lakeview Post would like to share some of its accomplishments and successes from 2013. The Lakeview post serves the counties of Montcalm, Gratiot, and Ionia.

In 2013, the post welcomed four new Troopers, three new Sergeants, one new canine handler, one new Lieutenant, and one new Chaplain.

Additionally, Troopers from the post handled 11,196 calls for service; of these 740 were alcohol or drug related. The post has 2,130 Registered Sex Offenders living in the post area with a 99 percent compliance rate. There are 11,310 inmates residing in the prisons located in St. Louis, Carson City, and Ionia. MSP handles all criminal investigations associated with these prisons. Troopers and Detectives were successful in helping to break up three large groups responsible for many residential and commercial break-ins in the post area. Troopers gave 11 presentations at local senior centers and church groups on elderly safety and not becoming a victim of fraud.

As part of the department’s Strategic Plan, the post implemented a new traffic safety initiative to address aggressive driving, distracted drivers, speed, and seatbelt use. These traffic safety concerns were impacting the local communities on US-127, US-131, I-96, and M-66.

The MSP is continuing to hire new troopers. Earlier this year, the department unveiled a new recruiting campaign, ‘ENFORCE, INVESTIGATE and SERVE,’ aimed at attracting candidates interested in a career with the MSP. The new recruiting campaign highlights the training and qualities every recruit must possess in order to enforce, investigate, and serve as a State Trooper. Interested candidates should visit www.michigan.gov/mspjobs for more information on how to apply.

The MSP is committed to providing ‘Service with a Purpose’ to communities statewide. For non-emergency MSP service 24/7, call 1-800-525-5555. Connect with us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MichiganStatePolice, on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/MichStatePolice or visit our website at www.Michigan.gov/MSP.