A look through the Brainerd Dispatch archives with Terry McCollough combing the microfilm for tidbits of history through the decades going back to 1922.
Addict who shot up before crash gets prison in deadly act of recklessness’
“It’s a wonder you didn’t just topple over dead while driving,’’ a Kent County judge told Robert Verdier before giving Verdier 7½ to 15 years in prison. Author: John Hogan Updated: 7:01 PM EDT May 19, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. A motorist high on drugs when he slammed into another car on M-37 north of Grand Rapids, killing a retiree, was sentenced to prison for a crash the judge called “almost preordained.’’
“That is an act of recklessness that simply cannot be tolerated in a civilized society,’’ Judge Curt Benson told 30-year-old Robert Patrick Verdier.
Grand Rapids rioter gets 120 days in jail for ‘wanton and pointless’ vandalism
Adrian K. Baker is one of 22 people charged in the May 30-31, 2020 riot in Grand Rapids. In addition to jail, Baker has to pay for a smashed window. Author: John Hogan Updated: 3:02 PM EDT May 12, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. The first person prosecuted for the Grand Rapids riot was sentenced Wednesday to 120 days in jail for what the judge called “a huge mistake.’’
“This was a huge mistake you made,’’ Kent County Circuit Court Judge Curt Benson told 19-year-old Adrian K. Baker. “There are consequences if you just start wantonly smashing up innocent businesses.