WATZ Today's Country

Thursday News Summary 12-15-22
Thu, 15 Dec 2022 12:19:22 EST

(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)

WHITMER DIRECTIVE
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, signing an executive directive on Wednesday afternoon...
related to abortion rights and the recently passed Proposal 3. The directive is designed
to prepare "departments and agencies to review aspects of reproductive rights that fall
within their jurisdiction." Prop 3 officially takes effect on December 24th. It enshrines
abortion rights in the state constitution.

BOY SCOUTS
The first man convicted in the Boy Scouts of America investigation has been sentenced
to years in prison. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says 51-year-old Mark
Chapman of New York will concurrently serve two sentences of 12-20 years and 10-15
years. He was sentenced Wednesday in Macomb County Circuit Court. Chapman was
charged for the abuse of two victims. In the first case -- the abuse began in 2000 when
the victim was 13 or 14 and continued until he was 17. The second case involved a
family member who was around 11 years old... with the abuse also continuing for
years. 89 Boy Scout cases are currently being reviewed.

GR POLICE
Michigan's civil rights watchdog is filing two charges of discrimination against the Grand
Rapids Police Department -- further heightening scrutiny of the department following an
officer's killing of a Black motorist in April. The charges announced Wednesday came in
response to complaints filed with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. The
complaints filed on behalf of two 11-year-old Black boys alleged that police responding
to a 911 call held the pair and a 17-year-old boy at gunpoint. The police department did
not immediately comment.

INSURANCE FRAUD
A 60-year-old Bloomfield Hills woman is facing charges after allegedly committing auto
insurance fraud. Officials say Cathy Rice was paid more than 12 THOUSAND dollars in
2020 for case management services to an auto accident survivor that was never
provided. Rice faces two charges -- one punishable by five years in prison and the
other punishable for four.
Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Anita Fox says everyone
pays when insurance fraud is committed because it can drive up premiums for all
residents.

WINDY WEATHER
There's a WIND ADVISORY for the Thumb area until 10 o'clock this morning.
Statewide, Consumers Energy is dealing with more than 17-thousand power outages.

SEX ASSAULTS -GENESEE COUNTY
A 36-year-old man is in custody after police in Genesee (JEN-a-see) County
discovered he was holding a young pregnant woman against her will and sexually
assaulting her for three weeks.
Once inside the home, Sheriff Chris Swanson says the suspect, Michael Barajas (Barah-has) allegedly locked her in a room and tied her to a bed where she was sexually
assaulted numerous times.

GANG SENTENCE
An alleged gang member and three-time convicted felon from Jackson was sentenced
to 57 months in prison Wednesday on a felony gun charge.
24-year-old Maurice Knighten plead guilty to a felon in possession of a firearm charge.
He was arrested in 2021 when the gun was found during a traffic stop.
ATF officials then tested the gun and discovered that it was involved in four prior
shootings -- three of them in Jackson.

COLD CASE-MI MURDER
A man who pleaded guilty to killing two women in Pennsylvania has been extradited to
Michigan to face a first-degree murder charge in the slaying of a pregnant woman who
disappeared more than 17 years ago.
Harold David Haulman III was charged Wednesday in Calhoun County District Court in
the death of 21-year-old Ashley Marie Parlier. She went missing from her Battle Creek
home in 2005. Parlier's family says she left home after an argument with her parents.
She has not been seen since and her remains haven't been found.

END OF SEMESTER PARTY -GRAND RAPIDS
An enterprising Grand Valley State University student is throwing an "End of the
Semester" party tonight in Grand Rapids. WOOD TV reports 20-year-old Grace
Nieboer, a hospitality and tourism management major is reportedly using six thousand
dollars of her own money with her parents blessing. She put the invite to tonite's party
on Tik Tok, calling it "Strangers Till Midnight" and she's charging 50-dollars a ticket for
the no alcohol party in Grand Rapids. The invite went viral and has been viewed more
than 350-thousand times.

WHITMER SENTENCING
Three Jackson County men will be sentenced today after being convicted of aiding in a
plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete
Musico were found guilty of providing material support for terrorist acts and attempting
to commit felonies as an associate or member of a gang. Both charges carry
punishments of up to 20 years in prison.
In April, two other men, Brandon Caserta and Daniel Harris, were acquitted in the plot.
Two other, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, accepted plea deals.

SCHURR TRIAL SET
Former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr will go on trial March 13th for
the killing of motorist Patrick Lyoya last April. Schurr was charged with second degree
murder after bodycam video shows Lyoya try to get away from Schurr and grabbed his
taser. Schurr was on top of Lyoya when he pulled out his gun and shot him in the back
of the head. Schurr was fired from the police department in June.

GIGIFACTORY
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced a major rebuild of Haggerty Road in Van
Buren Township in Wayne County to support the construction of Our Next Energys
new gigafactory and ensure reliable delivery of their goods. This announcement builds
on state support announced in October to further support the companys growth in
Michigan, which is expected to create more than 21-hundred new jobs and $1.6 billion
of investment in the economy.

PULTE LAWSUIT
The grandson of the late founder of PulteGroup is suing a top company executive, for
allegedly harassing him on Twitter. In the lawsuit, Bill Pulte claims that Brandon Jones,
who will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer in January, has used fake profiles
to harass Pulte, other family members and Pulte's millions of Twitter followers.
Pulte told the Detroit Free Press that he wants the company to hire an impartial law firm
to conduct an investigation. The lawsuit is seeking between $30- and $75,000 in
damages, plus a court injunction to force him to erase offending tweets.

FAT TIRE BIKE SEASON
Fat tire bike season opens today at Silver Lake State Park in Mears in west Michigan.
District supervisor with the DNR parks and recreation division, Kasey Cline says with
the creation of a fat-tire bike season in the dunes and a horseback riding season along
the Lake Michigan shoreline, the DNR is proud to introduce and expand four-season
opportunities in one of Michigans most unique state parks.