Possible suspicious activity in Westgate Neighborhood

Following is information picked up from friends on Facebook.  There have not been any official complaints reported with the Kent County Sheriff's Department so far this year in this community but that does not mean that somebody is not trying to be opportunistic and break ino unlocked cars and garages.  Keep garages, homes, and car doors locked and never leave valuables in your car even when locked. 

"We had some attempted break-ins last night around 2 am....keep your porch lights on and your doors locked up."

"Someone attempted to break into our garage on Tuesday at 2 in the morning but they were unsuccessful and got into 2 of our neighbors garages, we live on Stony cCreek, the car seen out front was silver/ grey, it was a car and it had a "fin/ spoiler" on the back!"

"My husband said the vehicle he saw was definitely silver/gray and was a small truck. Like a ranger with a step side. They stopped under the street light. Not good." (on Wallingford Dr)

Interested where crime is occurring in Alpine Township?  Go to https://www.crimereports.com/ and you can check in short and long time frames and select any specific crime.

Two suspects arrested in York Creek Apartments Armed Robbery

NEWS RELEASE, KENT COUNTY SHERIFF

The Kent County Sheriff Department has arrested two men in connection with an armed robbery that occurred Saturday afternoon, January 21, 2012, in a parking lot of the York Creek Apartment Complex. The victims were sitting in their vehicle when the two suspects approached demanding money. One of the suspects held two handguns while ordering the victims out of their vehicle. The second suspect then rifled through their vehicle for property. The suspects then told the victims to leave only to shoot numerous rounds at the vehicle as they attempted to flee. Neither victim was injured by the gunfire though the vehicle was struck with a round going through the rear window narrowly missing the occupants.

 

Road Patrol deputies have had numerous recent home invasions in this area of the complex and quickly identified a potential suspect. Investigators located both suspects near the crime scene where they lived in an adjacent apartment building. Both men were identified by the victims and arrested.

Search warrants were executed on both suspects’ homes and the weapons were recovered along with other evidence from the robbery. In addition, investigators seized stolen property that had been taken from the recent home invasions.   

Arrested and charged were:

Ryan Campbell, 24 yr old

Armed Robbery

Campbell is also wanted out of Chicago for another Aggravated Robbery  

 Joseph Whitaker, 19 yr old

Armed Robbery
Assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder
Felony firearm

Media contact: Undersheriff Jon Hess at 616-632-6236

Ryan Campbell

Joseph A. Whitaker

Reduced Crime Rate Credited to Crime Prevention Efforts

(CBS News)

WASHINGTON - The latest FBI figures show there's a lot less violent crime across the country this year, a trend experts attribute to a larger investment in crime prevention by government and law enforcement.

The 6.5 percent drop in violent crime continues a five-year decline that shows the numbers of murders, rapes and robberies steadily falling.

Crime analysts credit an aging population, stiffer prison sentences and better policing.

FBI sees drop in violent and property crimes

Bill Bratton, the former chief of police in Boston, Los Angeles and New York City who's now chairman of worldwide investigative company Kroll, said on CBS' "The Early Show" Tuesday that the country's feeling the residual effects of methods and strategies put into place more than a decade ago.

"In the 1990s, policing got it right," Bratton told "Early Show" anchor Chris Wragge. "We began to focus once again on preventing crime; '60s, '70s, '80s, we focused on responding to crime. It's a lot different to try to prevent it, and we've become very successful at preventing it."

Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox disputes the popular myth that crime should be going up in a bad economy.

"They're using technology; they're using data, crime patterns, maps to figure out where are the hot spots, what's the trend in terms of crime and trying to be proactive," Fox said of law enforcement agencies. "People are either criminals or not, independent of whether they have a job.

In the first six months of 2011, robberies in Los Angeles dropped 10 percent from the number reported in the first half of the 2010.

Over the same time period, Chicago recorded 14 percent fewer murders, and in Dallas the number of rapes fell by 22 percent.

The FBI said these are not statistical flukes. Between January and June nationwide, violent crime fell sharply across all categories:

• Murder down 5.7 percent
• Rape down 5.1 percent
• Robbery down 7.7 percent
• Assault down 5.9 percent

Crime is down in big and small cities in every geographic region.

The Northeast saw a drop of 3.6 percent in the first half of the year. In the South, crime fell 5.8 percent and 6.6 percent in the West. The biggest decrease was in the Midwest, where violent crime dropped 9.7 percent.

Property crimes, burglaries and arson also all dropped in the first six months of the year. It could be a challenge to keep driving these crime rates lower with all police departments virtually under constant budget pressures.

Burglary Suspect Arrested at Michigan Natural Storage Facility

From WZZM TV January 10, 2011

ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZZM) -- Kent County Deputies responded to an early Wednesday morning break-in at Michigan Natural Storage on Comstock Park Drive in Alpine Township.

The break-in happened just after 12:30 a.m. Deputies set up a perimeter around the building and used K9 teams to search the area. After a two hour search authorities located the suspect.

The suspect was indentified as 40 year-old man from Grand Rapids. Deputies say he was attempting to steal a large amount of food from the storage freezers.

Story at http://grnorth.wzzm13.com/news/news/65464-man-arrested-trying-steal-food

Home Invasion Suspect Arrested

The second suspect in a recent number of home invasions turned himself in today.  32 year old Daniel Shears turned himself in at the Kent County Sheriff's Correctional Facility and was arraigned on charges of second-degree home invasion and receiving and concealing stolen property.

Search on for man believed to be connected to home invasions





Daniel Shears



GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Sheriff deputies are looking for a person they say is connected to several Kent County home invasions.

The Kent County Sheriff's Department tells 24 Hour News 8 they are looking for 32-year-old Daniel Shears.  Authorities believe Shears is connected to home invasions throughout Kent County and neighboring counties. Investigators have recovered miscellaneous property and are working to identify victims.

This alert comes after Friday's incident in the 900 block of Baldwin Street in Grand Rapids . A suspect inside a home wouldn't come out and authorities were worried he had a cache of stolen weapons in the house.

Authorities arrested 23-year-old Samuel Domonique Gonzales III and charged him with 2nd degree home invasion and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Anyone who may know the whereabouts of Daniel Shears is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency, the Kent County Sheriff's Department at (616) 632-6125 or Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345. 

Story from Wood TV found at http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/search-is-on-for-home-invasion-suspect

Samuel D. Gonzales III

Daytime Home Invasions

It has been confirmed that there was a daytime home invasion on the 1600 block of  8 Mile Rd. NW in Alpine Township this Wednesday January 4, 2012.    Valuables as well as cash were taken from the home. Another attempt occurred in Plainfield Township while the homeowner was home.  These two incidents may be associated. The Kent County Sheriff's Department  is conducting an active investigation and has some good leads.  It is anticipated that these crimes will be solved. 

Following is a repeat of a Press Release issued by the Kent County Sheriff's Department last week:

Break-ins can occur at all times of day, in any season and in all neighborhoods. Please be aware of, and report, any suspicious persons or vehicles. When possible, write down license plate numbers. Protect your home by being discrete. Don’t advertise your items of value. Keep valuables out of plain sight of doors and windows. If you are throwing away boxes or bags that depict valuable items such as TVs, computers or

jewelry, make sure they fit in you trash or recycling can. Cut or shred as much information as possible.

Keep all exterior doors and windows locked. Make sure your home is well lit. Keep criminals guessing as to whether or not you are home. Utilize interior lights and if possible different lights through-out the home when you are not home.

Keep an eye on your neighbor’s house as well and report anything out of the ordinary.

To report any crimes or suspicious activity, call the Kent County Sheriff’s Department at 632-6100 or 911.