Ethan Crumbley back in court, 3-year-old shoots self in head, former Red Wings Zamboni drive sues over firing

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Ethan Crumbley will be back in court Thursday for a virtual hearing to review his imprisonment in an adult jail in Oakland County Thursday morning.

Because Crumbley is still considered a juvenile, his status in jail must be reviewed monthly, according to state law. Typically, teens charged with crimes are housed at Children's Village. But due to the severity of Crumbley's alleged crimes, he's remained in Oakland County jail.

He's expected to be in court around 9 a.m. in front of Judge Kwame Rowe. 

Crumbley has been charged with 24 counts, including murder and terrorism after he allegedly shot and killed four teens. He also injured several others. The fallout from the rampage continues to roil the Oxford School District, which was just recently sued again by victims in the shooting.

Last Friday, the family of Hana St. Juliana sued the district and multiple employees, arguing they showed ‘deliberate indifference’ towards student's safety by letting Crumbley go back to class after meeting with him prior to the shooting. 

In Crumbley's last court appearance, little had changed for the teen. With no updates from the defense, Rowe ordered him to continue to be housed at the jail.

Deborah McKelvy, Crumbley's guardian did bring up future educational plans for the teen, telling Rowe that she went over two possible schooling options. The Oakland County jail is now responsible for the suspect's education since it has taken over guardianship from his parents.

"Ethan is thinking about the best path, but the earliest would have to be after his 16th birthday," McKelvy said. Crumbley's birthday is in April.

The teen could either work toward the equivalency of a high school diploma or a GED as required by the state. The earliest he could resume schooling is for the 2022-23 fall semester.

Detroit 3-year-old hospitalized with self-inflicted gunshot wound

An overnight shooting in west Detroit has left a 3-year-old with a bullet wound on his head. The child allegedly shot himself around 3 a.m., grazing his head. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Detroit police said the scene unfolded shortly after the 3-year-old woke up his dad because he couldn't sleep. His dad put him back to sleep and a short time later, he heard the shot.

The scene in the 400 block of Alameda was an active one for several hours after the incident, happening near Eight Mile and John R. The police tape was only pulled down around 6 a.m.

According to the father, a 16-year-old sibling who was at the home apologized to his dad before running from the house. He's currently on probation and police are looking for him. Police are also searching for the gun used in the shooting.  The dad is cooperating, and the 3-year-old is with his mom at the hospital. 

Macomb man arrested in DEA drug bust

It was an unusual drug bust as a man was taken by DEA agents from his Macomb Township home in his underwear last week. A bystander’s camera was rolling as the feds took Zijad Balic into custody. He is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and use of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking after a trio of raids at his business and home.

A taskforce executed search warrants at Balic’s logistics company Northwest Transportation. The feds hit an office he rents at a commercial building on Eight Mile in Warren and according to a criminal complaint they found a half kilogram of cocaine packaged in five plastic bags, several pounds of marijuana, and roughly 100 amphetamine pills packed in six more bags.

The feds also searched his office on Hayes in Macomb Township. "Two cop cars, one cop got out, first started talking to him," said witness Courtnie Folger. "And then all of a sudden we noticed another k9 dog was getting out of the car and walked in there." Folger works next door in the strip mall.

"Oh it’s very scary, we’re a pretty laid back, pretty good town," she said. The complaint says agents also found firearms and police placards for bulletproof vests during the raids. Balic was arraigned last Friday and got a $100,000 unsecured bond. FOX 2 contacted Balic's attorney for comment but received no response.

Al Sobotka files lawsuit against Red Wings over sudden firing

Detroit's longtime Zamboni driver Al Sobotka was fired from his job after he was caught peeing into a drain. Sobotka, who has spent 51 years with the team and has developed a very Hockey Town-esque reputation, has sued Olympia Entertainment as a result.

His termination two months ago happened after a male employee in the garage at Little Caesars Arena caught him urinating and reported it to management. "The company will say this is a terminable offense but I really beg to differ," Attorney Deborah Gordon said. 

A week suspension, then – Sobotka was fired. Deborah says he wasn’t even able to box up his things. This was his first offense, in a sterling employee record.  "He was part of the heart and soul of Hockeytown. Who's been part of Hockeytown longer than Al? Nobody I can think of sitting here," she said.  

The lawsuit alleges age discrimination because prior to his firing, Sobotka said his boss allegedly made comments about he was "getting old." Additionally, he also has a prostate condition which causes an urgency to urinate "and he did what was expedient in the moment, thinking no harm was done," Gordon said.

Afghans fleeing Taliban get new start with Detroit Refugee Network

Hundreds of Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban's takeover last year are now being resettled in Detroit with the city's refugee network program. "We come with nothing, and we are glad that we've found the Detroit, Michigan which is an amazing city - they're very welcoming," Fatima said.

The Detroit Refugee Network worked to raise more than a million dollars for housing, healthcare, employment, education, transportation. "More than 650 Afghan refugees have come to southeast Michigan since late 2021 with more than 250 planning to settle in Detroit," said Kelli Dobner, who is with Samaritas. 

"Everyone wants an opportunity and here in Detroit, we are here to help them, and those that want to pursue that American dream," said Dr. Sonia Hassan, who is co-chairing the refugee network with Dobner. 

For an idea of how great the need is - Samaritas is expecting 2,500 refugees here in the next year and a half, and that does not even include people from Ukraine. All of them starting over - with our help.

What else we're watching

1. Miguel Cabrera is only one hit away from joining an exclusive club of sluggers that have 3,000 hits at bat. Along with his 500 home runs he earned last year, he would be among a select few to have hit both thresholds. He'll have his chance to hit No. 3,000 Thursday afternoon against the Yankees. 
2. A rally at the Michigan capital demanding justice for the police killing of Patrick Lyoya is expected Thursday afternoon. The demonstration will be conducted by activists against police violence, including Black Lives Matter organizers. 
3. The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre is hiring and looking for 300 seasonal employees to fill an array of jobs this spring and summer ahead of a busy event schedule. The job fair will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. 
4. More Earth Week events this week include a town hall discussion with Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown on climate resiliency and climate change. It'll be broadcast live on Facebook at 3 p.m. Thursday. 
5. A Royal Oak Democrat's speech against a colleague's accusations that she wanted to "groom" schoolchildren has taken off online. Rep. Mallory McMorrow pushed back on a Brighton Republican's campaigning, and said her impassioned response resonated with many because people were sick of such attacks. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Be ready for some crazy temperature swings the next few days as conditions will rise and fall with some strong winds and rain in the mix. Thursday will be in the 60s and rainy in the morning. Friday will be on the colder side before temperatures rebound over the weekend.

Putin tries to claim Mariupol victory but won't storm Ukraine holdout

Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to claim victory in the strategic port of Mariupol on Thursday, even as he ordered his troops not to storm the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the war’s iconic battleground.

Russian troops have besieged the southeastern city since the early days of the conflict and largely pulverized it — and top officials have repeatedly indicated it was about to fall, but Ukrainian forces stubbornly held on. In recent weeks, they holed up in a sprawling steel plant, and Russian forces pounded the industrial site and repeatedly issued ultimatums ordering the defenders to surrender.

Putin said that, for now, he would not risk sending troops into the warren of tunnels under the giant Azovstal plant, instead preferring to isolate the holdouts who have captivated the world’s attention "so that not even a fly comes through." His defense minster said the plant was blocked off, while giving yet another prediction that the site could be taken in days.

Putin's order may mean that Russian officials are hoping they can wait for the defenders to surrender after running out of food or ammunition. Bombings of the plant could well continue.

Even though Putin painted the mission to take Mariupol already a success and said the city had been "liberated," until the plant falls, he cannot declare a complete victory.