The Hastings Banner — Thursday, October 28, 2021 — Page 9Items worth thousands stolen
from storage unit
A 72-year-old Hastings man called police at noon Oct. 8 to
report his storage unit in the 2000 block of West M-43 in Rutland
Charter Township had been cleaned out. The man said he had just
been at the unit two days earlier to put a new snow-blower inside,
and there wasn’t an issue. But he arrived that morning to find the
lock missing. The man said the unit contained a grill, home appli-
ances, Star Trek collectibles, clothing and other items worth thou-
sands of dollars in total.Husband assaults wife,
breaks her rib
A 55-year-old woman told police Oct. 13 her husband
assaulted her in their home in the 7000 block of Guernsey Lake
Road in Orangeville Township Oct. 10. The woman said they
had both been drinking when her husband, 59, found text mes-
sages on her phone from another man. She said he became
angry and yelled at her until she ran out of the house. She said
they both fell down in the driveway, and she started yelling. He
put an arm over her throat and pushed down until she could no
longer breathe, then put a hand over her face and pushed down
on her eye. She said he picked her up and took her inside, where
he attacked her again, hitting her and pulling her hair. The
woman said she grabbed his testicles and squeezed until she
drew blood to make him let go of her. Police noted the woman’s
face, head and body were covered in bruises. She was taken to
the hospital, where doctors told her she had sustained a broken
rib. The woman said the couple have been married for more
than 35 years, and her husband has been abusive for 10 years.
She said he drinks about 3 1/2 gallons of rum a week. The police
were unable to contact the husband. Information was forwarded
to the prosecuting attorney.Meth found on sleeping
man at gas station
Police were called to the J&H Family Store in Middleville at
3:28 a.m. Oct. 13 on a report of a man sleeping in his car at the gas
pump. An employee said the man had been there for an hour and
was unresponsive. When an officer approached the vehicle, he saw
a plastic bag in the man’s lap. The bag had a white crystalline
substance inside it. The officer knocked on the window, woke the
man and opened the door. When the officer asked if the man was
sleeping in the car, the 28-year-old Ionia resident replied, “No,
sir.” The officer asked him what time he thought it was and he
replied, “Like 11?” The man denied any knowledge of the bag in
his lap or its contents. Police later tested the contents and foundthe bag contained 23 grams of methamphetamine. The man’s vehi-
cle was impounded, and he walked home. Information was for-
warded to the prosecuting attorney.Drunken driver flees accident
Police responded to a hit-and-run accident on Main Street near
Pearl Street in Nashville around 9:25 p.m. Oct. 17. The suspect’s
vehicle went off the road, hitting a dog cage and a speed-limit sign,
before leaving the scene. An officer pulled the vehicle over after it
was spotted driving away from the scene at 104 mph.. The driver,
55, of Ionia, admitted to drinking and was nearly falling down,
police said. He also had trouble opening the door because of dam-
age to the side of the vehicle. He was arrested, and information was
sent to the prosecuting attorney.Meth discovered after traffic stop
An officer pulled over a vehicle on East Street near Grand Street
in Hastings at 10:40 p.m. Oct. 17. The vehicle’s plate was regis-
tered to a different vehicle, and the driver, a 19-year-old Kalamazoo
woman, said she recently purchased it from her uncle. However,
the woman was unable to provide any paperwork proving owner-
ship of the vehicle, nor could she remember her uncle’s name.
Police found a meth pipe and bag of meth on the woman, and
another container of meth in the visor above the passenger, a
23-year-old Battle Creek man. He claimed the meth was not his,
but the woman admitted it was theirs. The woman also had four
warrants for failing to appear in Barry County and Kalamazoo
courts, and was arrested.Shoplifter found sitting in parking lot
Police were called to the Hastings Walmart at 6:26 p.m. Oct. 15
on a report of a shoplifter. An employee said a man had stolen a
necklace worth $19 and walked out before the employee confront-
ed him. While the officer and employee reviewed security footage,
they were unable to see where the suspect had left the parking lot.
They walked outside and found the suspect, 18, of Hastings, sitting
in the passenger seat of a vehicle. He initially denied stealing the
necklace, but eventually admitted to doing so “because it gave him
a rush.” Information was forwarded to the prosecuting attorney.Thief gives up on catalytic
converter
A 36-year-old man called police at 6 p.m. Oct. 12 to report that
someone had attempted to steal the catalytic converter from his
truck. The man said he started his truck that morning, in the 500
block of Lincoln Street in Middleville, and the vehicle sounded like
a tractor. He looked at the undercarriage and saw someone had
sawed into the catalytic converter but had failed to remove it.Middleville DDA discusses
security camera upgrade
James Gemmell
Contributing Writer
In response to recent vandalism in and
around the community, Middleville leaders are
considering whether the village’s current secu-
rity-camera system needs to be replaced or
upgraded.
The Middleville Downtown Development
Authority board decided at its monthly meet-
ing last week to table the discussion until it
gets more specific information about the com-
munity’s technology needs.
“We’re just waiting to see what the village
[council] decides. Because they have existing
infrastructure. And so, before we determine
what to invest in, we want to see what will
play nicely with the existing infrastructure, if
we need to get a whole new system or just
refurbish what we have and extend that sys-
tem,” DDA Director Katherine Schmidt said
in an interview after the board meeting.
Historic Charlton Park, a Barry County-
owned park and recreation area southeast of
Hastings, reported on its Facebook page that
vandals “broke windows and memorial bench-
es, drove through fences, smashed doors, and
did many other destructive things” Oct. 11 and
- The vandals left the park in a white golf
cart, but not before causing thousands of dol-
lars in damage.
At least two other golf carts were stolen
from the area around that time. Both were
recovered, but one had been vandalized.
There have been some recent burglaries, as
well, in Middleville.
Schmidt said the presence of security cam-
eras can help deter crime and bring justice
after crimes are committed. Protecting citizens
and the village’s assets and infrastructure are
high priorities, she said.
A final decision on the security system may
not be made until 2022. Part of the reason for
the delay is due to parts-supply shortages
related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re looking to see not just what we can
purchase, but making sure those pieces are
actually available in the marketplace within a
reasonable time frame, too,” Schmidt said.
She said not much money is earmarked in
the current DDA budget for a security-system
upgrade. Most likely, it would be purchased
through a capital investment or paid out of the
DDA’s fiscal year 2022 fund balance.
One potential contractor the DDA might
consider for refurbishing its security system is
Ubiquity Technology, a European-based com-
pany that makes security cameras, Wi-Fi sys-
tems and routers. The DDA, the village and
the county each already own some pieces of
Ubiquity’s infrastructure equipment. However,
the fact the company is based overseas could
be a concern, given the supply shortages.
“The three larger-dollar figure quotes that
we have [from other companies] are for cam-
eras that I think are made in America,” Schmidt
said. The DDA has not received a quote from
Ubiquity yet.
DDA Vice Chairman Randy Eggers pointed
out that security-camera images don’t always
help identify the vandals.
“I would love to be able to have the camer-
as there to see what’s going on, but at what
cost are you going to do it, if you’re not able
to catch anybody?” Eggers asked his fellow
DDA board members.
“For one, we’d have to have better Wi-Fi
than what we have,” DDA Chairwoman Kim
Jachim said, adding that the Barry County
Chamber and Economic Development
Alliance is still considering countywide Wi-Fi.
But Schmidt noted that some of the securi-
ty-camera systems are not dependent on Wi-Fi,
but use radio technology, instead. “And so,
they kind of create their own network from
camera to camera, and it doesn’t need Wi-Fi.”
Before taking action on a security-system
upgrade, Jachim said the DDA should find out
if it will be expected to pay for the entire cost.
“Or, if it’s going to be paid for by part of the
veterans memorial people in the village,” she
said. “I don’t want to move fast on something
like this. It’s too big. It’s too much money. We
don’t want to be buying something that doesn’t
flow with what the village has.”
“We certainly don’t want to see anything
happen to those monuments that honor those
that have served,” Schmidt said of the veterans
memorial. “That would be a disgrace on their
memory. Whatever we can do to prevent that
is something everyone is conscientious of.”Protect your financial information online
If you’re an investor, you
probably enjoy the conve-
nience of managing your ac-
counts online. But you’ll also
want to make sure that you’re
not making it convenient for
hackers, “phishers” and others
with bad intentions to gain the
same access.
Fortunately, there’s a lot you
can do to protect your privacy.
Here are a few suggestions of-
fered by the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission:- Use a strong password
or passphrase. You’ll want
to pick a password that would
be virtually impossible for
anyone to guess, employing
capital and lowercase letters,
plus symbols and numbers. Of
course, you’ll want to record
the password in a secure place
so you won’t forget it. Instead
of using a password, you may
have the option of choosing a
passphrase, which contains a
series of words strung together.
You’ll want to avoid phrases
taken from popular culture or
that are otherwise commonly
used. And it’s also a good idea
not to use phrases containing
your name, birthday or other
personal identifiers. - Use two-step authen-
tication. If your investment
company offers two-step, or
multifactor, authentication,
you’ll want to take advantage
of it, since it’s a good securi-
ty tool. When using two-step
authentication, you’ll need to
add an additional factor – such
as your best friend from grade
school or the model of the first
car you owned, and so on – to
your username and password.
And when you log in to your
account from an unrecognized
computer, your investment firm
may send you a code via text
message or email, which you’ll
need to enter to open your ac-
counts.- Activate your account
alerts. When you turn on your
account alerts, you’ll receive
text messages or emails noti-
fying you of certain activities,
such as account logins, failed
account login attempts, person-
al information changes, money
transfers, adding or deleting
of external financial accounts,
and more. These alerts can help
you monitor your accounts
for fraud and verify your own
moves, as well. - Avoid using public com-
puters to access investment
accounts. If you’re at a hotel or
library, try to avoid the temp-
tation to use the computer to
check in on your investments.
But if you do use a public
computer, at least take proper
precautions. For starters, don’t
leave data on a screen and walk
away, even for a moment. And
when you’re finished with the
computer, log out of your ac-
count to end the online session.
You may also want to change
any password you used.- Ignore suspicious links.
Be suspicious of emails or
text messages containing links
claiming to be connected to
your investment accounts.
These links could take you to
websites designed to solicit
sensitive account information,
which could then be used for
financial or identity theft. Even
if the link seems to be coming
from a business you know,
you’ll want to be quite cautious - experienced “phishers” can
now create websites or online
documents that look real. And
keep in mind that legitimate
investment firms will not ask
you to divulge personal infor-
mation without going through
the password or two-step au-
thentication protocols already
described.
The ability to connect with
your investment accounts on-
line can be extremely useful
to you – and you’ll feel more
comfortable about these in-
teractions if you know you’ve
done all you can to safeguard
your information.
This article was written by
Edward Jones for use by your
local Edward Jones Financial
Advisor.
Edward Jones, Member
SIPCJeff Domenico, AAMS® CRPC®
Financial Advisor
450 Meadow Run Dr. Suite 100
Hastings, MI 49058
(269) 948-Financial FOCUS
Provided by the Barry County
offices of Edward JonesWendi Stratton
Financial Advisor
423 N. Main St.
Nashville, MI
(517)760-Member SIPCKiwanis honors young
citizens of the month
The Kiwanis Club of Hastings has begun
another year of honoring Hastings elementa-
ry and middle school students as citizens of
the month.
Students are chosen by teachers for their
character as good citizens, such as helping
others, being on time, making good choices
in classroom, hallways, at recess.
The September citizens of the month from
each school include:
Central – Carter Mathews, son of Gregory
and Jessica Mathews.
Northeastern – London Hammond, daugh-
ter of Corey and Cal Hammond, and Alyssa
Olin, daughter of Michelle and Shawn Olin.
St. Rose – Jaci Goodroe, daughter of
Ashley and Alex Goodroe.
Southeastern – Breanna Trowbridge,
daughter of Michelle and Andy Trowbridge,
and Haley Miles, daughter of Kenneth and
Brittani Miles.
Star – Josh Roberts, son of Ashley and
Josh Roberts, and Karlee McQueen, daughter
of Amber and Adam McQueen.
Hastings Middle School – Kyanne Casey,
daughter of Brandy and Cal Casey; Jaylen
Hamilton, daughter of Jessica Riddterhoff
and Kyle Hamilton; Ethan Holman, son of
Tiffany Zimmer and Daniel Holman; Emilyah
Neal, daughter of Elizabeth and David Neal;
Lilly Randall, daughter of Teresa and Gregory
Randall; and Collin Tossava, son of Casey
and Tyler Tossava.Carter Mathews, the September
citizen of the month at Central
Elementary, is pictured with teach-
er Chris Andrews.London Hammond (left) and
Alyssa Olin, citizens of the month
at Northeastern Elementary, are
joined by principal Eric Heide.
(Photos provided)Star Elementary administrative assistant Kristy
Allen (center) joins Star’s citizens of the month,
Josh Roberts (left) and Karlee McQueen, for a
photo.Breanna Trowbridge (left) and Haley Miles, the
September citizens of the month at Southeastern
Elementary, stop for a photo with administrative
assistant Kelli Lawrence.Jaci Goodroe is the citizen of the
month at St. Rose School. She is pic-
tured here with teacher Katie Youngs.The September citizens of the month at Hastings Middle School, pictured with prin-
cipal Sarah Geukes, are (from left) Collin Tossava, Emilyah Neal, Lilly Randall, Ethan
Holman, and Kyanne Casey, and Geukes. (Missing from the photo is Jaylen Hamilton.)A security photo taken at Historic Charlton Park. (Photo from Historic Charlton Park
Facebook page)