This pole barn was completely destroyed in a suspicious fire Friday morning, May 18, 2018. Post photo by J. Reed

by Judy Reed

When Paul Schrier visited Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral home last Friday morning, he walked by a man sitting in his vehicle with the window down and gave him a friendly hello. He doesn’t remember if the man responded.

“I may have been the last person to talk to him,” said Schrier.

When he finished his business at the funeral home, Schrier noticed the man was still there in the parking lot as he headed over to Elmwood Cemetery to dig more holes for the Avenue of Flags. About 10 minutes later, Schrier heard a gunshot. When he looked to see what was going on, he saw the flashing lights of police at the funeral home. And then he heard another shot. What Schrier didn’t know was that this was the tragic end of the search for Bruce Bott, the 71-year-old Algoma Township man who had set his house on fire and burned his property earlier that morning, before ending his life in the parking lot of the funeral home.

A fire was set by the homeowner in the basement of this home on Algoma Ave. Post photo by J. Reed.

It started early Friday morning, May 18. According to Algoma Township Fire Chief Troy Guerra, they were toned out at 6:48 a.m. to a structure fire at 12131 Algoma Ave, between 14 and 15 Mile Roads. When they arrived on scene, they found the basement of the home on fire, as well as the pole barn. He said they sent out a second alarm on the pole barn fire to call in more aid. 

Guerra said they didn’t find anyone inside the home.

The fire also spread to a small shed behind the home, which was extinguished. The pole barn was destroyed.

The fire was deemed suspicious, and while firefighters from multiple fire departments battled the blazes, and the Michigan State Police investigated the fire, the Kent County Sheriff Department followed up on information they were given about a contentious divorce, in case the fire was deemed arson. The divorce between Bott and his wife was finalized April 30. So police began to search for Bott.

This shed near the home was also burned in the fire May 18. Post photo by J. Reed.

At approximately 9:30 a.m. the Kent County Sheriff Office received a call from Bliss-Witters & Pike funeral home in the 13000 block of Northland Dr NE. The caller reported a suspicious person who had just arrived at their facility. Dispatchers learned that Bott was sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot after dropping off a last will and testament to the funeral home.

The man was still sitting in his vehicle when officers arrived, but as deputies approached, they saw him shoot himself with a handgun. No shots were fired by responding deputies.

Bott was safely transported to Spectrum Butterworth with life threatening injuries. Shortly after 1:00 p.m., he was pronounced dead by medical staff at Spectrum Butterworth.

There were no injuries to the man’s ex-wife, who was not living at the home at the time of the fire.

Thank the Lord for sending his angels of protection to watch over me when I was in a car accident on White Creek Avenue last Wednesday night, September, 6th.  It was a very scary thing to have someone’s headlights coming at me in my lane and swerving off the road to avoid hitting the oncoming car head on. I know I ended up in the ditch and totaled my car but it could have been a lot worse if I had hit the car head on. Too bad the driver of the other car never stopped, I don’t even know if they even were aware of what happened.

Thank you to the kind couple that stopped to help me after my accident. You were very kind and helpful and I appreciate it very much. Thank you to Rockford Ambulance for getting me to Spectrum Butterworth where I got checked over and nothing was broken, just bruised pretty good. I’m doing much better now.  Thank you to my husband, Michael Sanderson for coming to my aid so quickly and being by my side at the hospital. Thank you to all the doctors and nurses that helped take care of me.

With many thanks, 

Belinda Sanderson

A Morley woman who hit another vehicle from behind Friday morning in Reynolds Township may have been distracted by one of her children trying to loosen their seat belt.

According to the Montcalm County Sheriff Department, the crash occurred about 9:39 a.m. on Friday, June 16, in the 22000 block of West Howard City Road (M-82).

Police said that Vanessa Dyer, aged 25 from Morley, was travelling eastbound on Howard City Road (M-82) in her 2003 Chevrolet minivan with her three children, ages 2, 3, and 4. Joseph White, aged 61 from Muskegon, was travelling eastbound in front of Dyer, in his 1989 Chevrolet van. White was slowing to wait for traffic to clear so he could make a left turn into a private drive. A westbound 2000 Chevrolet Tracker, driven by Carl McNees, age 65, from Sand Lake, was slowing to make a right turn into the same private drive. Dyer told police she was distracted by her children and did not realize White was slowing on the roadway. Dyer struck White’s vehicle from behind causing White’s vehicle to strike McNees’ vehicle.
Dyer was pinned in her vehicle and the Jaws of Life had to be used to remove her. She suffered serious injuries and was flown to Spectrum Butterworth in Grand Rapids by Aeromed. Dyer’s three children were transported via ambulance to Spectrum for observation.
White was not injured in the crash. His wife, Gloria aged 56, was a passenger and was complaining of injuries. She sought her own medical treatment.
McNee sustained minor injuries during the crash and refused treatment. His wife, Donna, aged 63, was passenger and was not injured.
In addition to Aeromed, ambulances from the Montcalm County Emergency Medical Services and Life EMS assisted at the scene, as did the Howard City Fire Department.
Police believe that one of the Dyer children was attempting to undo his seat belt in the vehicle. However, the remaining occupants, and the occupants of the other vehicles, were properly restrained and there were no other known contributing factors that led to the collision.

The crash remains under investigation.

Alcohol may have been a factor in this two-vehicle crash in Cannon Twp. last week.

Alcohol may be responsible for a crash in Cannon Township that sent three people to the hospital the night before New Year’s Eve.

According to the Kent County Sheriff Department, the crash occurred on Cannonsburg Road, east of Blakely, just after 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 30. Police said that a Dodge Ram truck was headed westbound on Cannonsburg Rd, and witnesses reported that it crossed the center line several times. It finally swerved all the way over the centerline into oncoming (eastbound) traffic and struck a 1996 GMC Sierra head on.

The driver of the Dodge Ram, Damion James Nelmark, 39, of Spencer Township, was taken to Spectrum Butterworth with by Rockford Ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the GMC Sierra, Corbin Thomas Verdier, 19, of Grand Rapids, was also taken to Spectrum Butterworth by Rockford Ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

The passenger in the Sierra, Noah Nathaniel Bosse, 19, of Grand Rapids, suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to Spectrum Butterworth by Aeromed.

All those involved were wearing seatbelts. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash, which is still under investigation.

A Kent County Sheriff Deputy was investigating a hit and run in Oakfield Township when his car was struck by another vehicle on Sunday, November 20.

The deputy, who was not named, was investigating a hit and run on Podunk, south of 14 Mile about 3:54 a.m. He was seated in his patrol car, a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, when a 2005 Buick Lacrosse headed southbound ran the stop sign and struck the deputy’s vehicle.

The was transported to Spectrum Butterworth by Rockford Ambulance with non-life threatening injuries and released a short time later.

The driver of the Lacrosse, a 20-year-old Belding man, was also transported by Rockford Ambulance to Butterworth with non-life threatening injuries.

Alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in the crash.

The crash is under investigation by the Michigan State Police.

A Kent City woman was sent to the hospital in critical condition Tuesday after a deer that was hit by another car went flying through her windshield.

According to the Kent County Sheriff Department, the accident occurred about 8:54 a.m. on Tuesday, October 11, on Algoma Avenue, just south of 15 Mile Road, in Algoma Township.

Doris Schoonmaker, of Sparta, was headed northbound on Algoma when she struck a deer with her 2007 Chevy HHR. The deer flew into the path and through the windshield of a southbound 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Linda Ball, of Kent City, and struck the driver.

A third vehicle then stopped at the scene and assisted the injured driver. Ball was given on-scene emergency care by Algoma Fire and Rescue and Rockford EMS and transported to Spectrum Butterworth with life-threatening injuries.

The driver that originally hit the deer was not injured. Neither vehicle had passengers. Both drivers wore seatbelts and police said neither alcohol nor excessive speed were factors. The crash remains under investigation.

According to the Michigan Deer Crash Coalition, fall is the most dangerous time of year for deer-vehicle crashes. Almost 50 percent of deer crashes occur October through December. There were 47,001 deer crashes in Michigan last year, and Kent County had the second most in the state with 1,528. Eleven people were killed in deer crashes last year, and another 1,132 were injured.

A 48-year-old White Cloud woman died last Saturday, October 10, after a two-car accident in Alpine Township.

According to the Kent County Sheriff’s Department, the accident occurred near the intersection of Fruit Ridge and 9 Mile Road, at 1:34 p.m.

The preliminary investigation showed that a northbound 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Kimberly Voorhees, 48, of White Cloud, crossed the centerline of the roadway to avoid hitting a slower moving vehicle and was struck by a south bound 2005 GMC Sierra Pick-up truck driven by Troy Guerra, 35, of Sparta.

Voorhees was transported to Spectrum Butterworth by Rockford Ambulance, where she later died of her injuries.

Guerra and his three pediatric passengers—Parker Guerra, 5, Tanner Guerra, 8, and Tanner Bormes, 9—were all transported to Spectrum Butterworth and treated for minor injuries.

This accident remains under investigation.

This Trailblazer (right) rolled after colliding with a pickup (left) Wednesday evening in Courtland Township. Post photo by J. Reed.

A Plainfield Township teen was sent to the hospital Wednesday evening with life-threatening injuries after a collision in Courtland Township.

The accident happened about 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 26, at 13 Mile and Myers Lake Roads.

According to the Kent County Sheriff Department, a Chevrolet Trailblazer, driven by Matthew Gorkowski, 17, of Sparta, was traveling westbound on 13 Mile Road and did not stop at the the stop sign at Myers Lake Road. His vehicle was struck on the passenger side by 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that was southbound on Myers Lake. The collision sent both vehicles off the road into the southwest corner of the intersection, with the Trailblazer rolling over.

Neither Gorkowski, nor the driver of the pickup truck, Andrew Rotunno, 18, of Cedar Springs, were injured. However, a 15-year-old female passenger in the Trailblazer suffered life-threatening injuries. She was transported by Rockford Ambulance to Spectrum Butterworth and then to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, where she remains in critical condition.

Everyone involved was wearing seatbelts and alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

Courtland Fire and Rescue assisted at the scene.

A 40-year-old woman from Great Britain was hospitalized Tuesday after a freak accident at AJ’s Fun Park.

The Kent County Sheriff’s Department, Plainfield Fire Department, and Life Ambulance all responded to AJ’s Fun Park on Ball Park Dr. in Plainfield Township, on Tuesday, August 25 at approximately 3:30 p.m., on the report of a subject having trouble breathing.

It was determined that Rachel Gibbs, a 40-year-old female, who lives with her family in Great Britain, but was in West Michigan visiting family, was riding a go cart at AJ’s Fun Park, when the scarf she was wearing became entangled in the tire of the go cart. The scarf injured her neck and she was unable to breath.

The woman was transported by ambulance to Spectrum Butterworth with life threatening injuries. Her condition was unknown at press time.

Jesse Turner

A Tyrone Township man died last weekend, after his ATV collided with a car.

According to the Kent County Sheriff Department, the crash occurred about 11:08 p.m., Saturday, June 13, at Red Pine Dr and 20 Mile Rd, in Tyrone Township. Deputy Thomas reported that Jesse Turner, 28, of Tyrone Township, was traveling westbound on 20 Mile Road, on his Polaris RZRXP900, when he failed to stop for the stop sign, and collided with a GMC Jimmy, traveling southbound on Red Pine Drive.

The driver of the Jimmy, John Chapen, 42, of Grandville, was transported to Spectrum Butterworth by Life EMS, with a fractured pelvis. Passenger Sierra Chapen, 16, of Grandville, was transported to Spectrum Butterworth by Life EMS, with neck pain. The other passenger, Stacey Wolbert, 40, also of Grandville, suffered injuries to her abdomen, right knee, and lower back, and was also transported to Spectrum Butterworth by Life EMS.

The driver of the ATV was transported to Spectrum Butterworth, by Rockford Ambulance, but later died, as a result of his injuries. Police believe alcohol may have been a factor in the accident.

Kent City Fire and Rescue assisted at the scene.

The crash is still under investigation.