State Roundup

Clarkston Musician-farmer gets probation in dead cow case CLARKSTON, Mich. (AP) -- A musician who authorities say failed to bury a dead cow at his Oakland County farm and had other animals on the loose has been sentenced to probation and community service. The Oakland Press of Pontiac reports Steven Banch Jr. was sentenced Monday in a Clarkston courtroom after pleading no contest earlier to charges in the case. He was accused of allowing animals to roam free and having unlicensed dogs. Banch, who was a member of the heavy metal band Spyder Baby, owns Cowbell Dairy Farm about 40 miles northwest of Detroit. He says the community service that he was ordered to perform was a "good thing." The farm is in Rose Township, near Holly. Banch says he plans to move to a dairy farm near Alpena in January. Grand Rapids ArtPrize adds $100,000 juried award for 2012 event GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- The annual ArtPrize contest in Grand Rapids is getting a new $100,000 juried award and trimming how much money the top two publicly picked winners each get. Organizers on Tuesday announced the creation of the ArtPrize Juried Grand Prize for the 2012 event, which is scheduled for Sept. 19 to Oct. 7. The new award makes the total prize money for the 2012 event $550,000, up from nearly $500,000 in 2011. Next year, the artist winning the public voting will get $200,000 instead of the $250,000 that was awarded in 2011. The prize for second place will be $75,000, down from $100,000. Prizes for other juried awards will be $20,000. Artist and venue registration for the fourth annual ArtPrize event will be announced later. Bay City Woman charged in prepaid funeral services fraud BAY CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Authorities say a woman whose mother owned a Bay City-area funeral home stole at least $436,000 since 2005 from 89 customers who paid in advance for funeral services. The office of Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Tuesday that it has charged 41-year-old Erica C. Kaznowski of Bay City with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise and seven counts of embezzlement by trustee. A message seeking comment from Kaznowski was left Tuesday morning by The Associated Press. The Bay City Times reported before the announcement about the case involving Stapish Cederberg Funeral Homes, which has locations in Bay City and Hampton Township near Essexville. An obituary for Kaznowski's mother says she died Nov. 29. Kaznowski was the business manager. She was due Wednesday in Bay County District Court. Grand Rapids Family of slain police officer helps kids in need GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- The family of a West Michigan police officer who was run over and killed in October by two suspects fleeing from a bank robbery hopes to make the Christmas season better for children in need. The Grand Rapids Press reports Tuesday that Trevor Slot's wife, Kim, was approached with an offer to donate Christmas gifts to their daughters, Katelyn and Abigail. Instead, the newspaper says gifts will go to about 35 area children. The 41-year-old Walker police officer was killed Oct. 13 while laying down spike strips to stop a speeding sport utility vehicle on Interstate 96 in Ottawa County after the Muskegon County robbery. Derryl LaFave Jr. and Kristopher Cheyne crashed after Slot was hit. They were fatally shot by police when they fired at officers. Detroit City ending free police escorts for funerals DETROIT (AP) -- Detroit is ending its longstanding practice of providing free police escorts for funeral processions. The Detroit News reports Tuesday that police cited a budget crunch and shortage of officers. Police Chief Ralph Godbee calls the courtesy a "resource drain" and says it's unfair for officers to accompany some processions and not others. Godbee says police escorts could continue if they're paid for as part of the cost of a funeral. Phil Douma, director of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association, says police escorts for funerals are becoming less frequent in Michigan. Several other large U.S. cities have stopped providing police escorts for most funeral processions in recent years. The Detroit suburb of Dearborn, however, plans to continue providing such escorts, citing the needs of traffic safety. Detroit Man pleads to firearm charge in militia case DETROIT (AP) -- A member of a Midwest militia accused of conspiring to rebel against the government and use weapons of mass destruction has pleaded guilty to a firearm charge, the first plea in the case, the government said Monday. Joshua Clough, 29, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Detroit. During a series of raids in March 2010, authorities arrested Clough and eight other alleged members of a southern Michigan group called Hutaree. Federal prosecutors claim Hutaree members were scheming to kill a police officer, then attack law enforcement who attended the funeral, in the first steps toward a broader rebellion. The remaining eight defendants are scheduled to stand trial beginning Feb. 7 before U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts. As part of his plea, Clough acknowledged he was a member of Hutaree and in February of last year participated in a training session that "focused on an upcoming covert reconnaissance exercise," U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in a statement. She said Clough "used and carried a firearm" during the training session. Plea negotiations began in the spring, defense attorney Randall C. Roberts said. "My client made a decision based upon his situation and we decided to forge ahead with this plea," Roberts said. Clough was expected to be sentenced in April, his lawyer said. He faces a mandatory five years in federal prison. Published: Wed, Dec 7, 2011