Richard Frank Jackson of Constantine was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison on Friday, March 22 for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl.
David Marvin
A St. Joseph County Circuit Court jury returned guilty verdicts this week on four of five charges lodged against 29-year-old Sturgis resident Brandon Forbes, who attacked a family member with a hammer in 2022.
St. Joseph County Prosecutor David Marvin tells Watershed Voice he plans to keep the case open, though he is unsure where his obligations now lie as this is uncharted territory.
Thanks to evidence preserved by the Three Rivers Police Department and Familial Genetic Genealogy (FGG) testing, authorities were able to use DNA and fingerprints collected at the scene of the 1988 murder of Cathy Swartz to bring charges against a suspect nearly 35 years after the murder occurred.
James W. Roberts, 54, was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Centreville in connection with making terrorist threats toward Three Rivers Middle School (TRMS). According to St. Joseph County Prosecutor David Marvin, Roberts called the FBI saying he planned to commit a mass shooting at Three Rivers Middle School.
Adalberto (Jacob) Garcia, 24, of Sturgis faces up to 20 years in prison after a St. Joseph County Circuit Court jury found Garcia guilty on multiple charges related to possessing and processing child sexually abusive material, according to a press release issued by County Prosecutor David Marvin.
The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners discussed the possibility of returning to in-person meetings after Tuesday’s virtual meeting was interrupted by internet trolls in a practice called “Zoombombing” or “Zoom raiding.” Unidentified persons briefly hurled racist and homophobic epithets at commissioners and those in attendance before Chairperson Dennis Allen temporarily stopped the meeting.
The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday approved two exceptions to the county’s hiring freeze to fill two positions in the St. Joseph Prosecutor’s Office.
Thomas Stambaugh, the perpetrator in the hit-and-run killing of Laura Jacobs in the Three Rivers Meijer parking lot last June, received his sentence Friday. During a hearing in St. Joseph County 45th Circuit Court, Stambaugh faced Judge Paul Stutesman and Chief Assistant Prosecutor Joshua Robare, represented by his attorney, David Marvin. Stutesman received a prison sentence after he pled guilty to the killing last month.
Nicholas Mastos, one of three codefendants in a home invasion that took place on South Constantine Street in Three Rivers in the early hours of July 19, has received his sentence. Last month, Mastos pled guilty to one count of first-degree home invasion as well as one count of attempted breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny, Mastos’ fourth such habitual offense.
Thomas Stambaugh pled guilty Monday in the St. Joseph County 45th Circuit Court Monday for the hit-and-run killing of Laura Jacobs on June 18, 2020, in the Three Rivers Meijer parking lot.
In the real world, recovery from addiction is often a lengthy and agonizing process, both for the addict and their loved ones. Recovery happens in fits and starts and repeated relapse is almost always part of the marathon road to sobriety. In fact, real world recovery looks less like that The Bold and the Beautiful storyline and more like the public trials being faced by St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough.
At a regular meeting of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday, commissioners approved the hire of two new employees for the Sheriff’s Department, making an exception to a current hiring freeze. They include a position in road patrol and one in the corrections department that is responsible for courthouse security.
At a regular meeting Tuesday, the Three Rivers City Commission approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding sewer service for the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) dairy in Constantine.
The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners weighed Wednesday whether to send a letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer regarding Prosecutor John McDonough’s status. McDonough has been on paid leave since being arrested in a May drunk driving incident for which he will soon stand trial.
In a 45th Circuit Court hearing Wednesday, Judge Paul Stutesman issued Mohammad Abuhaltam a prison sentence of 31 to 80 years with parole for the May 21 killing of James May, Sr. in Three Rivers.
Nicholas Mastos, one of three suspects in a home invasion that took place on South Constantine Street in Three Rivers in the early hours of July 19, pled guilty to two charges Monday, one unrelated to the invasion.
In a hearing to determine whether certain evidence is admissible in court, 45th Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman ruled on Friday that the murder case against Wade Allen can go forward. However, because some parts of the events that led to the collection of that evidence are still constitutionally uncertain, Stutesman granted an immediate stay of any further proceedings to permit the defense attorney, David Marvin, an opportunity to apply to an appeals court.