A 21-year-old Saginaw man has avoided a mandatory sentence of life without parole but still faces a lengthy prison sentence for fatally shooting an unintended target in 2010. After deliberating for parts of three days, a jury Tuesday morning convicted Donte R. Houston of second-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, and four other felonies. The jury acquitted Houston, who last lived at 2404 Hazelwood, of first-degree premeditated murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Second-degree murder and the assault charge carry maximum sentences of life in prison.
As the first of 19 tractor-trailer trucks rolled into town this week, Matt Blasy saw his dream of bringing Cirque du Soleil to Saginaw begin to take shape. "We've definitely faced some challenges," said the general manager of The Dow Event Center, telling how they've erected tents behind the set to provide additional dressing rooms and cleared out the Zamboni storage room for the catering services. This is a bombardment of product and staffing, and weve used every spare inch we have to accommodate it all. It is by far the most anticipated production The Dow has brought to town, he said, and judging from what hes seen so far, its going to be amazing.
Lonnie White Jr. was shot Sunday afternoon for the third time in less than two months, police say. White, 22, was shot about 3:30 p.m. while visiting a woman inside a home on Mt. Vernon on Saginaw's South Side, said Saginaw Police Detective Sgt. Joseph Dutoi. White was shot in the leg and buttocks, Dutoi said. He told police that he heard gunshots outside and that as he was about to look out a window, he was shot and fell on the floor, Dutoi said. Police observed four bullet holes in the house, Dutoi said. White told police he thought people were shooting at each other outside, Dutoi said. Police did not recover any spent shell casings near the home.
April's release of the Theodore Roethke postage stamp turned the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's Saginaw homestead into a hub of activity and its organizers tired yet happy hosts. And as the observation of what would have been Roethkes 104th birthday comes around, theyre at it again from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, with "A Saginaw Celebration: The Life and Work of Theodore Roethke" at the Roethke House, 1805 Gratiot in Saginaw.
Police are investigating a shooting that happened about 3:30 p.m. Sunday on Mt. Vernon. A woman called 911 and said a white car drove by and shot her boyfriend. The victim had walked to the 1400 block of Bloomfield when police arrived. His injuries were believed to be non-life threatening. Police have not yet released information regarding the victim or possible suspects.
With less than a month on the job as a Happy's Pizza delivery driver in Saginaw, Beau A. Boshans found himself holding two bags of food and staring down the barrel of a gun, he testified in Chief District Judge M. Randall Jurrens' courtroom Friday. Two men in ski masks and black clothing then stole the food he was attempting to deliver, items in his pockets a wallet, pens, a knife and up to $80 and his 1997 Buick Skylark. Police recovered the vehicle and wallet and charged Donovon D. Bell and Larae D. Nelson, 17 and 21 respectively, at the time of the April 9 robbery, with the crimes.
Through tickets, shirts, parking, in-game promotions and a "pass the helmet" at the last two home Saginaw Sting games, $13,000 was raised to donate to Travis Mills and his family. Mills, a 2005 Vassar graduate, stepped on an improvised explosive device April 10 while serving his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. He lost both of his arms and legs in the explosion. The Sting hosted "Travis Mills Night" on May 5 at The Down Event Center. Nearly $10,000 was raised at the game. The previous weekend, the Sting hosted "Local Heroes Night." Friends of Mills sold "Team Mills" T-shirts before the game and held a "pass the helmet" during the game, which raised $3,100.
A 13-year-old girl said a man pulled up to her in his car April 24 while she was walking to school, told her he knows her mom and would give her a ride to school. She testified in court Wednesday that when she got in the car, he turned down a side street and started touching her leg. "He said he knew (my mom) and he would give me a ride to school and she would be fine with it," the girl said. "It was chilly outside and I didn't feel like walking. And he said my mom was OK with it." She said he drove toward her school and then turned. He pulled into a driveway and tried to touch her upper leg. "He told me his name was Terrell," she said.
Charles Rogers, the former Saginaw High School star athlete and former Detroit Lions wide receiver now accused of threatening to kill his mother, appeared for court about four hours late today. Rogers, 30, appeared before Saginaw County District Judge A.T. Frank about 2:30 p.m. for a pre-trial hearing that was scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Rogers told the judge that he has been busy moving out of his Novi home but that he had "no excuse" for his tardiness, adding later, It's my fault, sir. Frank this morning issued a bench warrant for Rogers' arrest with the understanding that if Rogers appeared at a later time today, he would have to explain his tardiness. Frank recalled the warrant and reinstated Rogers' $7,500 personal recognizance bond.
Bradford S. Mitchell faces up to life in prison for the January 2011 beating death of his neighbor but has avoided a mandatory sentence of life without parole. After deliberating for about two hours, a jury of 12 men this afternoon found Mitchell, 45, guilty of second-degree murder in the Jan. 15 death of 45-year-old Jay Kolhoff. The jury, which began deliberating after 11 a.m., acquitted Mitchell of first-degree premeditated murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Second-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and Mitchell's habitual offender-second offense status increases the maximum in his state sentencing guidelines by 0.5.
