Trenton

By ANDREA POTEET and JAMES MITCHELL Sunday Times Newspapers TRENTON – Wyandotte police arrested a 31-year-old Romulus man here Tuesday after a high-speed case that began in Taylor and ended after the man’s Mercury Grand Marquis hit a resident’s air conditioning unit. Demetrius Roquemore was arraigned Thursday in Wyandotte’s 27th District Court on charges of fleeing police and obstructing justice. Charges of felonious assault in Taylor’s 23rd District Court were pending as of press time Friday. Taylor police first saw … [Read more...] about Man arraigned after multi-city police chase

By JAMES MITCHELL Sunday Times Newspapers TRENTON — A jury took less than four hours to agree that the device left by an Indiana man in a hardware store parking lot met the definition of “destructive,” and found John Robert Kennedy guilty on three felony explosives and weapons charges. The device in question was planted by Kennedy in the parking lot of ACO Hardware on Van Horn Road in April 2011, one of two bombs left in the city during a four-day period by Kennedy, who was also charged with making a telephone bomb threat to … [Read more...] about Jury finds Kennedy guilty of bomb charges

By JAMES MITCHELL Sunday Times Newspapers TRENTON — A U.S. District Court trial for a man accused of placing bombs in the city is expected to continue tomorrow after being in recess over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. U.S. District Court information officer Rod Hansen said the government’s case against John Robert Kennedy could conclude this week in Ann Arbor before Judge John Corbett O’Meara. Prior to the start of last week’s testimony, Kennedy pleaded guilty on two of six weapons and explosives charges stemming from … [Read more...] about Bomb trial continues after holiday

By JAMES MITCHELL Sunday Times Newspapers TRENTON — More than a year after a grand jury’s charges were confirmed, the trial of a man accused of placing bombs in the city and phoning a threat to the high school began in U.S. District Court. Heading into the start of jury selection in Ann Arbor last week, John Robert Kennedy pleaded guilty on two of six charges and a trial will be held on four remaining felony counts. Kennedy was charged in July 2011 with six weapons and explosives charges. Prosecutors said that Kennedy … [Read more...] about Trial begins in school, city bomb charges

By JAMES MITCHELL Sunday Times Newspapers TRENTON — A new face with a familiar name joined the Trenton Public Schools Board of Education Tuesday with the election of Sean Gearhart — son of City Clerk Trish Gearhart — leading the balloting with 4,304 votes (35 percent of ballots cast). Three candidates sought two expiring seats on the panel. Board trustees serve six-year terms. Longtime Trustee Wayne G. Sieloff was elected to another term in office with 4,012 votes (32.7 percent). Challenger David M. French fell in third … [Read more...] about Newcomer joins Trenton board; 1 seat still vacant

By JAMES MITCHELL Sunday Times Newspapers TRENTON — The phrase “human trafficking” brings to mind images of third-world slavery and kidnappings in foreign seaports. Donna Fickeisen of the Trenton Area Soroptomist Club said those misconceptions are flawed, and potentially dangerous. “People don’t understand,” Fiekeisen said. “They think this is only happening in other countries, but it happens right in our backyards.” The Soroptomist Club — an international women’s organization that works to improve the lives of women and … [Read more...] about Child protection seminar aims to educate on human trafficking

By JAMES MITCHELL Sunday Times Newspapers TRENTON — The temptation is often to cut losses and seek a quick fix, but City Administrator Jim Wagner said that won’t be the strategy in working with the struggling Legends 1925 Bar and Grill. “We could come up with a short-term solution, but we’d have a long-term problem,” Wagner said. As of last week, the restaurant inside the Kennedy Recreation Center, 3101 West Road, owed the city approximately $53,000 in back rent and utility bills. The shortfall has been an issue for months: In … [Read more...] about City hopes to keep restaurant open