Latest news with #VanBurenCounty
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Michigan DNR taking steps to halt invasive red swamp crayfish at hatchery pond
Red swamp crayfish – a species that is native to the southern United States but prohibited in Michigan – was found in a state hatchery pond in Van Buren County, Michigan. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported Thursday that the invasive species was found in a muskellunge rearing pond at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan. The source of this crayfish appearance is not yet known, but isolated cases have been documented in Michigan since 2017. It's been banned in Michigan since 2014. Red swamp crayfish, also known as Louisiana crayfish, are about 2 to 7 inches in length. They have an hourglass shape, along with claws that are typically red. The feed on snails, invertebrates, amphibians and aquatic plants. While they are native to the Mississippi River drainage area and Gulf Coast, their presence in Michigan is considered invasive as they push out and become destructive to local species. The Red swamp crayfish also will burrow into shorelines, contributing to erosion. Known and suspected ways the species has appeared in Michigan include the release or escape of aquarium pets, live bait that is dumped as leftovers, and live crayfish that were brought into the state for crawfish boil preparations. Another possibility is that because the hatchery pond is open and outdoors, the species could have migrated from another location. There is a known population about 15 miles away. The Van Buren County incident was discovered after hatchery staff unexpectedly noticed the carcasses of two crayfish in a Wolf Lake pond used to raise muskellunge, the DNR explained. The muskellunge had been just been stocked at Thornapple Lake in Barry County and Lake Hudson of Lenawee County. Upon seeing the carcasses, the hatchery staff set crayfish traps both in that pond and two adjacent ponds. They captured one live, positively identified, red swamp crayfish. DNR staff do not believe any of the red swamp crayfish went to Thornapple Lake or Lake Hudson, as the muskie selected for transfer were noticeably larger at 12 to 13 inches in length. But a monitoring plan has been developed for both sites. In the meantime, over 150 traps have been set at Wolf Lake Hatchery to determine the extent of the invasive species population. The DNR is also tracing shipments and quality control efforts, taking additional steps to screen the intake water. As it turns out, Wolf Lake's muskellunge ponds are scheduled to be out of service in 2025 because of a construction project. The young muskie collected thie year will be reared at Thompson State Fish Hatchery in Manistique. The DNR asks that Michigan residents and anglers who notice red swap crayfish in the wild are asked to collect and freeze a sample, or take photos with the location noted, and send their reports to Kathleen Quebedeaux, DNR Fisheries Division, QuebedeauxK@
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Bombs explode during Van Buren Co. standoff
Bodycam video gives a closer look at a Friday standoff where Van Buren County deputies say a man ignited pipe bombs. (July 7, 2025)
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Tips on body in barrel prompt lake search in mom's 1978 vanishing
KEELER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Divers will return to a southwest Michigan lake to continue searching for the remains of a mom who vanished 47 years ago. 'It is our belief, and rumors throughout the years (indicate), that she was put into a barrel and dumped into this lake,' said Dave Walker, detective lieutenant with the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department. It's been one week since deputies first dove Brown Lake — a private, 72-acre lake in Keeler Township that's thirty feet at its deepest. Brown Lake is approximately five miles north of Sister Lakes, the town from which Joyce Fisher, 28, vanished in April 1978. Detectives said she'd left her vehicle at a corner store to accompany her estranged husband, Jerry, to get a car title notarized. But when he returned thirty to forty-five minutes later, he was alone. The couple was in the midst of a contentious divorce, fighting over custody of their one-year-old daughter. Joyce was never seen again. 47 years later, the cold case started to defrost after Jerry made headlines again, this time for shooting and killing his neighbor in Alabama in May 2024 over a property dispute. 'Your news piece actually generated tips that reignited this investigation,' explained Walker, referring to Target 8's report on the Alabama arrest. 'That's what's bringing us back out here today.' 'Never seen again': 46 years after his wife vanished, man arrested in Alabama killing That, and advances in technology. The sheriff's department worked with an assistant professor of geophysics at Western Michigan University. 'This lake has been searched at least twice before,' said Walker. 'But it's only been with divers. Now, Western Michigan University has equipment that can detect way down into the silt to help us find… a metal object.' Mine Dogan, a geophysicist, sat lakeside under a portable canopy, peering at the laptop in front of her. 'I do this voluntarily,' Dogan told Target 8. 'And I'm going to do this as long as they ask me to do these kinds of things. It is very important to me.' 46 years after woman vanished, renewed hope for answers Dogan positioned specialized probes on a boat to scour the lakebed for anomalies in the earth's magnetic field. 'Certain metals can become magnetized when you place them in a magnetic field,' explained Dogan. The equipment identified several disruptions in the lake's bottom, though divers did not find a barrel. 'So far the magnetometer has hit on about four locations,' Walker said. 'We've located a cabinet, a fence post, and some unknown debris.' Walker said divers plan to return to Brown Lake soon to check additional spots pinpointed by WMU's equipment. '(Joyce's) family has been in touch with us over the last couple of years,' said Walker. 'Their only hope was to find closure for the family, to bring Joyce home and lay her to rest the proper way.' Walker said most of Joyce Fisher's relatives have passed away, but not her daughter. 'She just wants some type of closure. She was just a little baby when this all happened,' noted Walker. Neighbors on the private lake are hopeful. 'There's never been any closure,' said Paula Faultersack. 'The sheriff's department asked if they could use our property to search for Mrs. Fisher. We're like, 'of course.' Once in a while, my friend and neighbor, we will have a beer, and we'll toast to her. You know, 'if you're in here, we hope they find you. And if you're not, I hope they find where or who.' She deserves that.' Jerry Fisher remains free on bond in Alabama, awaiting trial in August for the fatal shooting of his neighbor. Fisher tried to claim self-defense, but a judge rejected that argument after a hearing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
19-05-2025
- CBS News
Michigan woman sentenced again to life for death of husband nearly 20 years ago
A Michigan woman accused of setting her husband on fire then driving a van over his burning body was sentenced to life in prison Monday for murder after failing to convince a jury for the second time that she wasn't responsible. Since Todd Stermer's death nearly 20 years ago, Linda Stermer has been imprisoned then released while winning an appeal and getting a new trial. But now she's back in custody with a no-parole sentence. "Murder is by it's nature a monstrous deed," Van Buren County Judge Kathleen Brickley said. "But the one you've committed is more gruesome than most. I cannot fathom the suffering he endured in his last moments of life." Prosecutors alleged Stermer doused her husband with gasoline and set him on fire in 2007, a day after he learned she was having an extramarital affair. Stermer insisted it was an accident, telling insurance investigators that Todd had an oil lamp and candles burning in the house. She was first convicted in 2010. But a federal appeals court in 2020 granted her a new trial, saying her rights were violated when her attorney didn't do enough to counter the arson theme described by prosecutors. One of the judges on the three-judge panel strongly disagreed and said an accident wasn't plausible. All that was missing, Judge Jeffrey Sutton said at the time, "was a film of the mariticide." Stermer, 60, stuck to her claim of innocence Monday. "While I stand before you, innocent and wrongfully convicted, I'm prepared for the battle ahead," she said.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- The Independent
Michigan woman again gets life sentence for fiery death of husband nearly 20 years ago
A Michigan woman accused of setting her husband on fire then driving a van over his burning body was sentenced to life in prison Monday for murder after failing to convince a jury for the second time that she wasn't responsible. Since Todd Stermer's death nearly 20 years ago, Linda Stermer has been imprisoned then released while winning an appeal and getting a new trial. But now she's back in custody with a no-parole sentence. 'Murder is by it's nature a monstrous deed," Van Buren County Judge Kathleen Brickley said. "But the one you've committed is more gruesome than most. I cannot fathom the suffering he endured in his last moments of life.' Prosecutors alleged Stermer doused her husband with gasoline and set him on fire in 2007, a day after he learned she was having an extramarital affair. Stermer insisted it was an accident, telling insurance investigators that Todd had an oil lamp and candles burning in the house. She was first convicted in 2010. But a federal appeals court in 2020 granted her a new trial, saying her rights were violated when her attorney didn't do enough to counter the arson theme described by prosecutors. One of the judges on the three-judge panel strongly disagreed and said an accident wasn't plausible. All that was missing, Judge Jeffrey Sutton said at the time, 'was a film of the mariticide.' Stermer, 60, stuck to her claim of innocence Monday. 'While I stand before you, innocent and wrongfully convicted, I'm prepared for the battle ahead,' she said.
