A 48-year-old Hamtramck man has been arraigned and charged with kidnapping and assaulting a 16-year-old Hamtramck student on Monday. CBS News reports Donald James Joseph Arthur Fields is being held without bond at the Wayne County Jail.
The student was kidnapped at gunpoint from a bus stop and forced into a white van. Other students were able to track her location through her social media and alert police. The teen also managed to call the police herself.
The kidnapper took the student to a local gas station, where the student mouthed “help” to the attendant who intervened and walked the kidnapper outside. Police arrested Fields within 30 minutes of the kidnapping.
Hamtramck Police Chief Hussein Farhat says this was an isolated incident. A probable cause conference is slated for Fields on April 30.
Additional headlines for Thursday, April 16
Attorney General Dana Nessel files against Consumers Energy
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed testimony against the state’s largest energy provider.
Nessel urged the Michigan Public Service Commission to cut 61% of a $240 million request from Consumers Energy for another rate hike. This comes after the commission already approved a $157 million rate hike for Consumers Energy in December.
Nessel says Consumers Energy allegedly inflated their costs and customers ultimately take a hit. If approved, customers would save $146 million in future costs.
Consumers Energy provides electricity and natural gas to about 2 million people in Michigan.
Coalition for Property Tax Justice says overassesments continue in Detroit
The Coalition for Property Tax Justice continues to fight with the City of Detroit over its property assessments. Overassessments by the city have led to thousands of foreclosures.
Coalition founder Professor Bernadette Atuahene says a recent study shows overassessments of lower-priced homes are still happening.
“A report released this year shows that 50% of the homes worth 70,000 and under are still being assessed in violation of the Michigan State Constitution, which quite clearly says no property should be assessed at more than 50% of its market value.”
City Assessor Alvin Hornh tells WDET his office has adjusted its Economic Condition Factors to get a better idea of what is happening in a particular neighborhood.
A recent report by the International Association of Assessing Officers showed the city complied with state law.
– Reporting Russ McNamara
U-M president elect diagnosed with cancer
The University of Michigan Regents announced U of M president-elect Kent Syverud has brain cancer and will not be able to serve as the school’s next president.
Syverud issued a written statement saying in part that he is “ready to meet this challenge.”
Syverud was selected as U of M’s next president in January. He was scheduled to start next month. Board Chairman Mark Bernstein says the university will begin a new presidential search soon. He says Domenico Grasso will continue to serve as the university’s interim president as the school searches for a new leader.
– MPRN
Flood watch
A flood watch is in effect for much of southeastern Michigan until midnight.
Kyle Klein is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s White Lake office. He says the risk of flooding comes after several days of above-average rainfall, leaving the ground heavily saturated.
“Most of the area in the past 10 days has seen between 1.5 – 4.5 in of rain. And then we’ve picked up anywhere from an inch to basically 2.5 inches in places.”
Klein says while storms aren’t expected to be as heavy as the round that passed through the region Tuesday night, they may still bring additional inches of rainfall. That could result in water backing up onto roads and into basements.
– Reporting by Alex McLenon
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