TRAVERSE CITY — Witnesses helped police locate and arrest a Traverse City man after a violent robbery along Union Street.
Jesse Ladale Kelley, Jr., 38, is charged with a felony count of unarmed robbery. He remained in the Grand Traverse County Jail Monday after an incident early Saturday morning along Union Street.
A city police officer went to the 400 block of Union Street at about 2:30 a.m. and found a man, 50, on the ground unconscious with a gash on his forehead and multiple facial injuries, Traverse City Police Capt. Steve Morgan said.
As the officer tended to the victim, two witnesses approached and said the victim had been assaulted and robbed by two men who then left the area. The witnesses said they saw all three men arguing, then heard a "thud" as they were riding their bikes away from the incident.
They turned around to see a man later identified as Kelley rifling through the victim's pockets while he was on the ground, Morgan said.
It's not clear if the gash on the man's head was from the assault or from him hitting the pavement during his fall, Morgan said. The witnesses were able to provide a detailed description of the suspects, and the officer remembered dealing with similar suspects in an unrelated incident a short time earlier in the Bay Hill apartment complex off Veterans Drive.
The officer went to Bay Hill and arrested Kelley. Prior to the arrest, police brought the witnesses to Bay Hill to make a positive identification.
Police don't believe the other man with Kelley struck the victim or went through his pockets. He wasn't arrested and as of Monday didn't face any charges.
Morgan is glad the witnesses approached police.
"This is an extremely violent felony crime," he said. "I think these witnesses did an excellent job of coming forward quickly and helping us get this guy off the streets."
The victim, who police said was drunk at the time, later was released from the hospital.
Region
Man arrested after alleged assault on Union Street
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Grand Traverse officials to discuss Twin Lakes safety
Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. at the Governmental Center to talk about safety in the wake of Owen Williamson's recent drowning.
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Grand Traverse officials to discuss Twin Lakes safety
![tcr DrowningMeeting01-20130619kk05.jpg [Duplicate]](http://d6673sr63mbv7.cloudfront.net/archive/x2113332759/g04803c000000000000dad2faa14f71dd0fbc25b022487d4c9ca001fe2a.jpg "tcr DrowningMeeting01-20130619kk05.jpg [Duplicate]")
Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. at the Governmental Center to talk about safety in the wake of Owen Williamson's recent drowning.
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Felon wants a firearm
Convicted felon. Bellaire resident Kent McNeil carries that brand, a label he earned after pleading guilty to kidnapping and extortion in 1988. Now he wants to legally possess firearms, though federal law prohibits felons from possessing guns.
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Cass Road crossing will develop with dam removals
It's time to stop talking and start replacing Cass Road Bridge, county officials said.
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Controversial anthropologist calls area home
Since 1999, one of America’s most famous and controversial anthropologists has lived quietly in a home set far off a wooded road with his wife and a hunting dog named Darwin.
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Tension boils over Benzie undersheriff position
Benzie County remains undersheriff-less as county commissioners and sheriff’s department leaders continue a six-month-long battle over pay and benefits that spurred talk of inter-government lawsuits.
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Kalkaska man gets 100 years for sex crimes
A Kalkaska man convicted of sex crimes against his stepdaughters likely will spend his remaining years behind bars.
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Old Mission named among top coastal drives
Old Mission Peninsula claimed a spot on USA Today’s recent list of 10 coastal drives.
Continued ... - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
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Man could face 7th domestic violence conviction
A Traverse City man with six prior domestic violence convictions is due back in court on the same charge.
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DDA chief nurtured downtown TC growth
Bryan Crough loved to listen to people talk about downtown Traverse City and how it has become a hot spot for the arts, dining and commerce.
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Officials to meet on Cass, Hartman-Hammond river crossings
The Cass Road Bridge will be replaced after all.
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Clearing the Record: 06/18/2013
Because of a reporter’s error, the creator of the six dogmen costumes for the “Dogman 2: Wrath of the Litter” movie was misidentified in Saturday’s Record-Eagle.
Continued ... - Monday, June 17, 2013
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BATA plan: Load more bikes on buses
Cyclists who pedal the Leelanau Trail between Traverse City and Suttons Bay now have more back-and-forth options.
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Goodwill to develop food truck
An area nonprofit will rely on more than $20,000 in taxpayer-funded grants to begin operating a food truck that accepts Bridge Cards.
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Downtown leader passes away
TRAVERSE CITY — A community pillar who literally helped shape downtown Traverse City died unexpectedly Sunday night of an apparent heart attack. For more than three decades, Bryan Crough, 59, left his mark on local politics and culture, serving as a
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Light & Power board balks at price of proposal
Traverse City Light & Power board members balked at a $60,000-plus, no-bid proposal to plot the city-owned utility’s future.
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Empire event to celebrate beloved soundman
The northern Michigan musical community will pay homage to one of its own during the Summer Solstice Celebration of Music and Community on June 23 from noon to 9 p.m. at Johnson Park in Empire.
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'Thunder' to roll to honor vets
Members of Rolling Thunder Michigan Chapter 1 invite the public to polish their chrome and join them as they hit the highway for their fourth annual Pure Thunder-escorted veterans memorial ride.
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Northern Notes: Just Mulch gets thank-you
Debra Norman, principal at Lake Ann Elementary School, wrote to thank Scott and Deb Talquist from Just Mulch for providing the school with the equipment and manpower to keep its pond and waterfall operating.
Continued ... - Sunday, June 16, 2013
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TBAISD to hold budget hearing
Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District Board of Education will hold a hearing on their fiscal year 2013-14 budget on Tuesday as board members consider whether to spend some of their nearly 58 percent fund balance.
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'Family is our whole life': Raising quadruplets plus two
Since her quadruplets grew out of diapers, life smoothed out for Tonya Lewandowski.
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Program aims to keep tenants in their homes
Charles Alexander sat in 86th District Court and uttered that he'd rather be dead than homeless.
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Acme beach buildings demo set
Acme Township purchased the last of three buildings on its growing project to create a mile-long shoreline park, and demolition crews are ready to dive into work.
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Free fishing day hooks young anglers
Screeches, squeals and screams of excitement could be heard from Northwestern Michigan College's Great Lakes Campus as kids reeled in rainbow trout.
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Fire damages Garfield Township home
Firefighters were called to 4327 Stoneridge Dr. Saturday at 2:12 a.m. and arrived to flames through the roof.
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