State Roundup

Huntington Woods Golfer's lawsuit is no gimme at appeals court HUNTINGTON WOODS, Mich. (AP) -- Here's a tip as golf season approaches: Watch out for another player's clubs. Ronald Blakney sued another golfer after he was struck in the face while walking to the first tee on a foggy morning at Rackham Golf Course in Huntington Woods. The 65-year-old Blakney accused Brad Dery of negligence, but an Oakland County judge dismissed the case. Now the Michigan appeals court is also leaving the Southfield man in the rough. The court upheld the dismissal last week when a three-judge panel said Dery wasn't reckless while practicing and warming up in summer 2006. The court says it was "within the normal bounds of conduct" at a golf course. Hazel Park 2 Mich. teens charged after attack over cigarettes HAZEL PARK, Mich. (AP) -- Two suburban Detroit teens accused of attacking a man and stealing a partial pack of cigarettes face unarmed robbery charges and up to 15 years in prison. Nineteen-year-old Raymond Patton of Hazel Park and 18-year-old Damian Williamson of Royal Oak were charged Monday in 43rd District Court. Police say the men attacked a 21-year-old Hazel Park man who was walking to work about 6 p.m. Sunday. Hazel Park Police Lt. Michael Kolp tells The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak one of the suspects punched the victim in the head, took his cigarettes and rummaged his pockets. Patton remains held on a $50,000 bond, while Williamson's bond was set at $100,000. A March 8 preliminary exam is set. Police said it was not immediately known if either suspect had a lawyer. Waterford Township Chief: Dead woman was trying to kill self, 4 kids WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- A 37-year-old Detroit-area woman who died of carbon monoxide poisoning was trying to kill her family when she gave her four children sedatives, then had them sleep in a van parked in their garage with the motor running, authorities said Tuesday. An autopsy concluded that Shanda Yenglin's death was a suicide, Oakland County Medical Examiner Dr. L.J. Dragovic told The Associated Press. "She was setting in place a plan to kill herself and all her children," Waterford Township police Chief Daniel McCaw said at a news conference. Boys ages 10 and 11 and girls ages 13 and 14 were rushed to hospitals Monday morning. The girls were released to their foster parents, while the boys were expected to be released soon, McCaw said. Sometime Sunday night, Yenglin gave the children milkshakes laced with sleeping pills and pain relief drugs, set the house's thermostat to 53 degrees and told them to sleep in the van in the garage to stay warm, McCaw said. He said she left a suicide note on the dashboard of the van. "It appears she was depressed," McCaw said. She also left a bowl of cat food overflowing inside the home to feed their cat, he said. According to the chief, the 14-year-old girl became sick from the milkshake and went back into a bedroom, and her 13-year-old sister woke up cold in the morning and went into the house to get a blanket. When the 13-year-old returned and found her mother lying on the garage floor, she ran back inside, woke her sister and called 911, McCaw said. Oakland Circuit Court records show that Yenglin had a history of abuse and neglect of her children and lost temporary custody of them. The children were visiting her Sunday. The case is a "sad and tragic situation," McCaw said. "These children loved their mom." Saginaw Sgt. from Saginaw killed in attack in Afghanistan SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) -- A 25-year-old infantryman from Michigan was on his third combat deployment when he was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army said Tuesday. Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould died Sunday from wounds he sustained when insurgents attacked his unit in Ghazni province, the Defense Department said in a news release. "This was a job we knew he enjoyed," his mother, Ann Gould of Bay County's Frankenlust Township, told The Bay City Times. "He was proud to do it, and he was good at it." Gould was a graduate of Valley Lutheran High School in Saginaw County's Saginaw Township. Gould's pastor described him as sports-minded and devout. The soldier particularly liked dirt biking. "He was a faithful member," said the Rev. Charles Buckhahn of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Saginaw. "He was very proud of his military service, as was the rest of his family and the congregation. ... He was a very personable guy, always was on the lookout for other members of Bethlehem in the military. He was always trying to connect and keep up with them." Gould was part of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Knox, Ky. He enlisted in 2003 and served 15 months in Iraq in 2005-06, followed by 12 months in Afghanistan in 2008-09, Fort Knox said in a statement. Ford spokesman Ryan Brus said Gould's current deployment started in January. Buckhahn said his own daughter was in Gould's grade in school. "We have a lot of members who are in the military," said the minister, who son serves in the Marines. "This hits home for a lot of the families here who are in the same boat as the Goulds were." A memorial service was planned in Afghanistan on Wednesday, with funeral plans still pending. Detroit Jury convicts Detroit police officer of stalking DETROIT (AP) -- A Detroit police officer faces up to five years in prison for stalking an assistant Wayne County prosecutor she says was her ex-girlfriend. The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press report Wednesday that 46-year-old Wedad Elhage faces a March 15 sentencing. A jury found her guilty Tuesday of aggravated stalking. Elhage testified she sat in her car near Shelley Drain's Plymouth Township home, but claimed she was not doing surveillance. Elhage has said she and Drain shared a relationship for eight years before separating in 2008. She was accused of harassing Drain and Drain's boyfriend following the breakup. She pleaded guilty last year to misusing a police database to get information on the boyfriend. Defense attorney Charles Busse says Elhage is suspended without pay and is expected to retire. Published: Thu, Mar 3, 2011