State Roundup

Detroit State police scale back Detroit crime lab plans DETROIT (AP) -- The Michigan State Police department is scaling back its plan to build a full-service crime lab at Detroit's new public safety headquarters, a move that has angered some Detroit-area officials. Plans for a $15 million crime lab at the old temporary home of the MGM Grand Casino on the western edge of downtown have been scaled back, The Detroit News reported Monday. Detroit is moving forward with $60 million plans to make the site a headquarters for the city's police and fire departments. "I'm disgusted with their position," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, whose office handles cases in Detroit and the Wayne County suburbs. State police now envision the lab as an evidence processing and storage center, combined with classrooms and ballistics facilities, and they said it wouldn't include fingerprinting, toxicology or DNA testing. Still, state police said the planned lab will enhance the way forensic evidence is processed in Detroit. Shawn Sible, a state police deputy director, said the department is moving to a "triage" method that puts emphasis on improved handling and processing of forensic evidence by local police. State police have been processing evidence for Detroit since the city's crime lab closed in 2008 after authorities found dozens of cases with misjudged evidence. State police plan to continue doing testing work for Detroit using other facilities if it's not done at the new facility, Sible said. Detroit Deputy Mayor Saul Green told a legislative committee in Lansing last week the decision not to proceed with the full crime lab, combined with the recently announced closure of a state police post in Detroit, "will have a severe detrimental impact on the city of Detroit and the entire state of Michigan." Together, the decisions suggest a state police "retreat" from fighting crime in Michigan's largest city, said Green, a former U.S. attorney in Detroit. State police deny the claim. The changes will keep the same number of troopers patrolling the Detroit area, Sible said. The state police announced in March that it will close 21 posts across Michigan as part of a plan designed to save $21 million, but the move would come without any trooper layoffs. Troopers would be deployed throughout the state mostly from remaining posts and other buildings the state police would call detachments. Highland Twp. Girl, 12, charged as juvenile in armed robbery try HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- Prosecutors have decided to bring juvenile charges against a 12-year-old girl accused of using a loaded, stolen handgun to try to rob a suburban Detroit store, an official said. Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Paul Walton told The Oakland Press of Pontiac on Sunday that the case will be handled as a juvenile matter. A magistrate handling the case raised the issue of whether the girl would be charged as an adult, but adult charges weren't sought, the sheriff's department said Monday. If she had been charged with armed robbery as an adult, she could have faced with up to life behind bars. Authorities say the robbery attempt happened Friday night at Country Lake Market in Highland Township, about 30 miles northwest of Detroit. The girl was wearing a bandanna during the Friday night stickup attempt, the Oakland County Sheriff's Department said. Store workers were able to overpower her until deputies arrived, the department said. "Thankfully, this had a positive outcome, at least in terms of injury or death," Sheriff Michael Bouchard told The Detroit News. Bouchard said the girl broke into a house to steal the gun and resisted store employees trying to subdue her. "Plus, it was a loaded gun, with one round chambered as well, so it's very lucky that didn't discharge and hurt or kill someone," the sheriff told WWJ-AM. Despite the bandanna, one employee said she recognized the girl. The girl is being held at the Oakland County Children's Village. The robbery echoes another Oakland County prosecution of a juvenile on a serious weapons charge: the murder case against then-11-year-old Nathaniel Abraham of Pontiac. Abraham was convicted of murder for using a stolen rifle to kill 18-year-old Ronnie Greene in 1997 and was held until he turned 21. Abraham, now 25, is back behind bars serving time for dealing drugs. Saginaw Bishop: Look at restructuring parishes SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) -- A bishop says the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw needs to look at the structure and operations of its 109 churches because of financial constraints and a shortage of priests. Bishop Joseph Cistone says central Michigan diocese faces increasing challenges because of the drop in the number of priests and the limited availability of administrators. The diocese says it serves about 132,000 Catholics in 11 counties. In a letter to parish leaders, Cistone says the church must assess the viability of each parish. WSGW-AM reports the bishop says next year, the diocese will have 57 active priests for its 109 churches, besides 26 active and senior priests who can provide some services. Published: Tue, Apr 19, 2011