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ANTRIM
Antrim experiencing spike in sex cases
BELLAIRE — An Alba teen faces a string of felony charges after police said she engaged in sexual conduct with a juvenile relative on several occasions.
Antrim County authorities charged Ashley Marie LaPratt, 19, with six counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a person between the ages of 13 and 15. Each felony count carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.
Michigan State Police last week arrested LaPratt after she told officers she had an ongoing sexual relationship with a male relative, who was 14 at the time. The sexual encounters began in January and lasted until April, police said.
Her relative responded to LaPratt's sexual advances "by following her directions of what to do and how to do it," court records show.
Judge John D. Foresman, of 86th District Court, is expected to arraign LaPratt this morning in Bellaire.
LaPratt's felony charges come amid a spike in criminal sexual conduct cases throughout Antrim County.
"Probably beginning in the last couple months, we've seen an increase," said Antrim County Prosecutor Charles Koop. "For a while there, they were pretty nominal, and then we've seen an uptick in them." Koop last week also filed felony charges in another criminal sexual conduct case involving a Fife Lake man and his minor relative. Jamey Lee Swikoski, 34, faces a second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge after police said he engaged in sexual conduct with a female relative, who was 13 at the time. The felony charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
BENZIE
Benzie Central grad dies in Afghanistan
TRAVERSE CITY — Randy Agruda could've heard a pin drop at work, a rarity inside a Traverse City body shop where employees often chat and tinker with vehicles.
Silence filled the shop when authorities escorted a group of U.S. Marines into Hansen Collision to inform an employee that his son died during military combat. Marine Cpl. Paul James Miller, 22, of Lake Ann, died Monday after a roadside bomb exploded nearby while he was on foot patrol in Afghanistan.
"It's surreal because I've seen it on TV and read about it in the paper, but you never would've dreamed somebody would walk in to tell us someone we know died," said Agruda, who's worked with Miller's father, Jim, for several years. "It was almost like someone walked around and punched us in the stomach, and we all needed some time to catch our breath." He was a 2006 graduate of Benzie Central High School and enlisted in the Marines shortly after graduation.
Holbrook sentencing set for Aug. 10
BEULAH — A judge will determine how long Joni Holbrook will spend behind bars exactly one year after she killed her husband, a state police sergeant.
Benzie Circuit Judge James M. Batzer is expected to sentence Joni Holbrook, 48, on Aug. 10 in Beulah. Joni Holbrook killed her husband, state police Sgt. Melvin Paul Holbrook, with his service weapon on Aug. 10, 2009, as he slept in their Benzie County home, then called 911 and reported the incident.
Court officials said the sentencing date was not scheduled to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the shooting.
"It's entirely coincidence," said Batzer, who added he generally handles sentencing cases on Tuesdays.
Joni Holbrook this month pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after agreeing to a last-minute plea deal the day before her jury trial was set to begin.
GRAND
TRAVERSE
Cuts in TCAPS budget may be smaller
TRAVERSE CITY — Finances are rosier for Traverse City's public schools than they were this winter, when school board members passed budget cuts for the upcoming year.
To be sure, the district budgeted a $4.2 million deficit, and the Legislature did not give schools enough funding for 2010-11 to reverse last year's $165 per-student cut.
But lawmakers didn't take more, and the state's School Aid Fund has a surplus that has yet to be spent.
Some employees, preparing for contract negotiations in which they will be asked for concessions, think it's time the board amends the reductions.
For now, the target of $6.1 million — including about $3 million from compensation — still has a green light, though the idea of adjusting it has entered the central office.
"It is a reasonable question to ask, and it is something we are investigating," said Paul Soma, chief financial officer. "How we go about dealing with that is still under discussion."
City puts depot property up for sale
TRAVERSE CITY — A vacant city lot long eyed for development finally is up for sale, but there's a big string attached.
City commissioners on Monday voted to sell a grassy 2.5-acre lot just north of the railroad depot buildings near the intersection of Woodmere Avenue and Eighth Street. Any developer who buys the property must work at least 10 affordable housing units into their plans, commissioners ruled.
Commissioners for weeks waffled about how to approach the sale. Some favored selling the land with no requirements whatsoever, an effort expected to get the idle property quickly sold and on the tax rolls with minimum hassle.
Those in favor of that plan said the city could offer a $10,000 rebate for each affordable housing unit built within five years.
Others wanted to include the ultimately approved affordable housing stipulation. Without it, they said, a developer could pass on the rebate offer and build just about anything on the site.
Citizens, officials discuss rail service
TRAVERSE CITY — Emery Gyr loves to take trains from place to place, and saw much of the country by doing so.
Gyr, of Traverse City, attended Thursday's rail forum at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center, part of the regional planning Grand Vision project.
More than 100 area residents packed into the meeting to talk about what they want to see happen with freight and passenger rail service.
The crowd broke into groups and gathered around state maps to lay out their ideas for Michigan's railways.
"It's energy efficient in comparison to car travel. It's very easy and makes sense for people on business or students because they can get work done rather than driving," Gyr said.
Susan Cooper, of Traverse City, spoke during the forum about the importance of linking Traverse City to the Detroit Metro Airport, where many domestic and international flights depart and arrive. She also said her group believes the state should investigate building monorails down the middle of existing interstates and divided highways.
"We already own the right-of-ways," Cooper said.
