In a press release, the Office of St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite reported that a suspect was taken into custody Tuesday following a reported break-in which included reported gunshots. Deputies responded to a Nottawa Township trailer park following a report of shots fired. According to the release, the subject attempted to break into an occupied residence, firing a single shot before fleeing on foot.

A 39-year-old man was transported by Air Care to an area hospital after an accident in Colon Township this past Saturday morning. According to a press release by St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite, Deputies responded at about 7:23 a.m. to a location near Burr Oak Road and West Palmer Lake Road. Craig Holman of Angola, Indiana had crossed the center line of the road, left the roadway to his left, and struck a series of trees.

A White Pigeon man died early this morning in a collision between a pickup truck and a bicycle in Constantine Township. According to a Sheriff’s Office press release, deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department responded just before 5 a.m. to the area of Riverside Drive and Blue School Road. The bicyclist, a 35-year-old White Pigeon resident named Timothy Slabaugh, was pronounced dead at the scene due to injuries he received in the collision.

The 45th Circuit Court of St. Joseph County has been awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Justice. St. Joseph County Circuit Court Adult Drug Treatment Court Program Director Dr. Barbara Howes confirmed the award at a meeting Wednesday. In a Facebook post, Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman said, “I am extremely proud to announce that the 45th Circuit Court has been awarded a new grant from the Federal Government in the amount of $600,000 over the next three years to address the substance abuse needs in our County.”

Despite reduced utilization of services and fewer funding dollars from some sources, St. Joseph County’s offender rehabilitation programs are adapting and continuing to serve. Community Corrections Director Rose Ludwick, District Court Judge Jeffrey C. Middleton, and others discussed current challenges and opportunities and approved changes at a Community Corrections Advisory Board (CCAB) meeting Wednesday.

St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite told Watershed Voice Wednesday that his department will not be able to enforce a directive issued last Friday prohibiting open carry of firearms within 100 feet of polling places around the state. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued the directive, which applies to the upcoming November 3 General Election day, and includes instructions for local clerks on how to carry it out.

Deputies with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department (SJCSD) engaged in a vehicle pursuit Friday morning that ended in the arrest of one person and an ongoing search for another. Deputies attempted a traffic stop on a maroon Ford F-150 pickup truck at approximately 8:10 a.m. for a speeding infraction, according to a press release by Sheriff Mark A. Lillywhite. The vehicle was found to have been stolen, and Deputies believe another stolen vehicle may be related.