2 charged for fatal batch of drugs • Body found in shallow grave • Sex offender gets prison for new crimes
THURSDAY NEWS HIT - A utility worker made a gruesome discovery on Detroit's east side Wednesday night.
While working in the backyard of a home in the 8000 block of Hildale Street near Van Dyke, they saw a hand sticking out of the ground. A body was found in a shallow grave after the hand was found.
Detroit police and the FBI were on the scene investigating after the body was removed, as the FBI assists police departments with exhumations. The FBI's anthropology team examines remains.
Investigators are still working to identify the body, determine how long it has been buried, and what happened to the person.
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Dead body found in shallow grave in Detroit yard by utility worker on east side
The discovery was made by a utility contractor working for DTE Energy, finding a hand sticking out of the ground, then called 911.
Fatal batch of fentanyl-laced crack cocaine leads to charges
Two men are accused of selling fentanyl-laced crack cocaine that may have killed six people in Metro Detroit.
According to a federal indictment, Melvin Triplett and Shemar Malone allegedly were selling the laced drugs. An investigation that began after a Dearborn Heights overdose linked Triplett to up to eight overdoses, including the six deaths.
The partner of the Dearborn Heights victim told investigators that they were with the victim when they allegedly bought drugs from Triplett. They said that the victim immediately become unresponsive after using the crack cocaine and died. That partner became an informant for investigators and helped them uncover information about Triplett.
Authorities then reviewed his phone and said six of Triplett's top contacts have suddenly died - all of suspected drug overdoses between Nov. 2 and Nov. 7, 2022. Two others overdosed and were given Narcan by responding paramedics.
Investigators said they learned Malone was also selling the laced drugs.
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Two men charged in bad batch of fentanyl-laced crack cocaine in Metro Detroit that may have killed six
Federal authorities have indicted two men on charges of distributing a deadly batch of crack cocaine.
Man says he was giving police gun, not shooting at them
A man accused of shooting at Warren police while running from them Monday said in court that he was trying to give them the gun.
"I was giving him the weapon, your honor. I'm not like that. My house just got broken into, my car just got broken into. I was trying to give it to the officer, just like ‘don’t kill me,'" Willie Lee Allen said.
Allen, who has a long criminal history and was out on bond, is accused of firing at officers who were chasing him after he fled a traffic stop on 8 Mile near Mound.
"I've seen the video, and it was clear that he fired at the officer," Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said.
Allen's bond was set at $1 million.
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Man accused of shooting at Warren police claims he was giving officer weapon
A man who Warren police allege shot at officers while fleeing a traffic stop Monday said he was trying to give officers the gun while in court for his arraignment.
Liquor store adds parking lot security
A fatal carjacking at a Detroit liquor store prompted another party store owner to hire parking lot security.
Tracie Gold was shot and killed outside a store on Grand River near Outer Drive last week. After learning about the murder, City Liquor on Harper near Chalmers decided to add security.
The security escorts will begin on Friday during the busier times at the store. The owner plans to launch this pilot program with a promotion to get as many customers out as possible - and possibly start a trend at similar stores throughout the area.
If it is successful, the security will be brought back not just on the weekends, but during the week as well.
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East side Detroit party store hires private security for parking lot
A recent tragedy has highlighted one thing for a business owner in Detroit - he needs to do more to keep his customers safe.
Sex offender sentenced for preying on children again
A Metro man who already has convictions for sex crimes involving children is now headed to prison for preying on children again.
Anthony John-Hamernik Girard, 32, of Dearborn, was sentenced this week to 15 years in prison after admitting that he requested photos of sexually explicit content from a 16-year-old girl. That girl sent him a sexual photo, authorities said. He also told the girl he "kinda" wished she was younger.
Those messages were discovered after Girard messaged an undercover police officer who he thought was a teen girl.
Girard used to be a hall monitor at a Dearborn high school. He was charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student and wound up pleading guilty to aggravated indecent exposure in 2013 after having sex with a 16-year-old girl.
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Michigan sex offender sentenced to 15 years in prison after preying on children again
A man already on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry for preying on children is headed to prison for enticing a teen to send him nude photos.
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Daily Forecast
After a 60 degree day Wednesday, temperatures are dropping, with on-and-off snow showers throughout the day.
What else we're watching
- Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley is in court Thursday for a monthly review to decide if he should remain in the Oakland County Jail.
- Investigators are looking for a hit-and-run driver who killed an MSU student who was in Oakland County during holiday break.
- A ShotSpotter alert led Detroit police to a body near a school on the city's east side.
- A former employee with the Wayne County Roads Division pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal more than $1.7 million.
- Carhartt heiress Gretchen Valade has left a lasting legacy with her Detroit Jazz Festival philanthropy. She died at 97.
House adjourns after Kevin McCarthy loses 6th speaker vote
House Republicans flailed through a long second day of fruitless balloting Wednesday, unable to either elect their leader Kevin McCarthy as House speaker or come up with a new strategy to end the political chaos that has tarnished the start of their new majority.
Yet McCarthy wasn’t giving up, even after the fourth, fifth and sixth ballots produced no better outcome and he was left trying to call off a night-time session. Even that was controversial, as the House voted 216-214 — amid shouting and crowding —to adjourn for the night.