Following a family member’s assault on him on Thursday, a 3-year-old boy remains in critical condition.
A 20-year-old man has been taken into custody by Portage police on suspicion of abusing the child. He is being held at the Kalamazoo County Jail while charges are being filed. The man’s relationship to the child was not made clear by the officers, but they did state that they are family.
At 1:30 p.m., Portage police and firefighters arrived. According to Lt. Ron Clark of the Portage Department of Public Safety, on Thursday, Nov. 30, they were called to a residence in the 5700 block of Bay Meadow Trail in response to reports of a disturbance that left a child hurt.
Upon arrival, first responders discovered a 3-year-old child suffering from severe injuries that were purportedly caused by the 20-year-old man hitting him, according to Clark.
The child was taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition, after the man was arrested by the police.
Call Silent Observer at 269-343-2100 to report tips anonymously, or contact Portage Public Safety at 269-329-4567 if you have any information about the incident.
Horrifying Crime Unveiled: Men Accused of Holding Homeless Women Captive, Forcing Them to Open Bank Accounts
Following allegations that they compelled two homeless women to open bank accounts and held them against their will, two men from Kalamazoo were charged on Thursday with human trafficking.
According to Kent County sheriff’s deputies, the women would provide the men with financial information once they were made to open bank accounts. According to deputies, the precise purpose of the accounts is still being looked into.
Around 1:00 p.m., deputies were made aware of the plan. They were called to the Bank of America at 6737 Division Ave. on Wednesday, Nov. 29. S in Byron Township following information about an alleged coercion of a woman.
Entering the bank, the woman informed the tellers that she was being coerced by the two men from Kalamazoo to open a bank account. When deputies arrived, they found the other woman and the two men.
According to deputies, two homeless women in Kalamazoo, ages 34 and 43, were chosen at random by the two 27-year-old men, who then persuaded them to work for them in exchange for money.
According to deputies, the men demanded that the women open bank accounts at various West Michigan banks in their names and provide them with certain financial information.
The purported scheme’s objective is currently being looked into.
The woman was able to ask the tellers for assistance, and they in turn notified the authorities, according to the deputies, who also noted that it seems there had been multiple previous incidents.
On Thursday, Nov. 30, the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against the two Kalamazoo men for human trafficking, unlawful imprisonment, and resisting and obstructing police.
On those charges, the men are anticipated to be arraigned on Friday.
Tragic Conclusion: Portage Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Strangling Boyfriend to Death
Tuesday saw the life sentence of a woman found guilty last month of killing her boyfriend in January 2022 at an apartment in Portage.
After a three-day jury trial, Colon was found guilty of first-degree murder on August 3, despite his claim of self-defense. Colon was charged with her boyfriend Maan Saleh Alblowi’s murder in January 2022.
Colon reported Alblowi’s death to Portage police on the afternoon of Jan. 18, 2022, the day after his death.
Alblowi, 25, was fatally choked in a Portage apartment.
Defense attorney Benjamin Norg argued during the trial that Alblowi’s death was self-defense by Colon, after he had choked her to the point of blacking out.
“Mrs. Norg stated during the sentencing that “Colon maintains her innocence and I continue to advocate for Ms. Colon’s innocence.” “I think Ms. Colon acted in legitimate self-defense, and that’s why she should have been found not guilty.”
Norg went on to say that he did not think the jury had seen enough evidence to conclude that Colon had planned the crime.
Just before the sentence was announced, Norg said to Bridenstine, “I think Ms. Colon would not be here today if she hadn’t done what she did that day.”
Colon said no when asked if she wanted to speak to the court before she was sentenced.
“The jury rejected your defense and concluded that you were accountable for Mr. Alblowi’s death,” Bridenstine stated. “And consequently, in light of the charges against you and your status as a third habitual offender, this court has sentenced you to serve the remainder of your natural life in the Michigan Department of Corrections.”
During closing arguments on August 2, Kalamazoo County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Sheppard stated that Colon did not act in self-defense.
Sheppard declared, “She killed him.” “She did it on purpose. She took action after giving it some thought.
She reminded the court of the jury’s verdict on September 5.
Sheppard stated, “They returned the verdict that they felt appropriate based on the evidence after having the opportunity to hear all of the evidence.”
According to Bridenstine, Colon was on probation at the time of the incident. She was a third-time habitual offender who had previously used violence against Alblowi. She had also entered guilty pleas on two previous occasions.
In March 2021, she entered a guilty plea to a felony charge of assault involving a dangerous weapon. In October 2021, she also entered a guilty plea to the felony of assaulting, resisting, and obstructing a police officer. Two charges were dropped: one for domestic abuse and the other for resisting, attacking, and obstructing a police officer.
Officer Brent Reynhout of the Portage Police Department testified regarding Colon’s initial report to police during a preliminary hearing in June 2022. Reynhout claimed that when Colon initially informed him about Alblowi’s passing, she informed him that Alblowi had choked her until she lost her breath and went unconscious.
Reynhout claimed she told him as she began to choke him back. At that point, he stopped breathing.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Colon told police she cried and prayed next to his body for about an hour and a half before realizing he was dead. Then she said that she pulled his corpse into the closet.
She eventually fell asleep in the living room on a mattress. She went to the police station to report it after telling her family what had happened the following morning, according to the affidavit.
Colon told Portage detective Derek Hess essentially the same thing she told Reynhout, according to testimony. He said he interviewed her after reading her Miranda rights.
Colon has 42 days to appeal her case. Her attorney couldn’t be reached prior to publication to see if she plans to appeal.
