Niles officer arrested for alleged sex crime

March 26, 2011|Clifton By Clifton French (cfrench@wsbt.com), Click here to follow Clifton on Twitter | Clifton By Clifton French (cfrench@wsbt.com), Click here to follow Clifton on Twitter

NILES, Mich. -- Sworn to serve and protect, now a Niles City police officer has been arrested and booked on charges for an alleged sex crime.

Police spent hours sifting through a Niles City police officer's home in the 1700 block of Cass Street Friday evening. Now, that officer has been suspended and is being investigated by the Michigan State Police. Police aren't releasing the name of that officer, but neighbors have identified him as Ivery Cross and the Berrien County Jail confirmed that Cross was booked Friday on two felony charges of First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct.

"It's just happened, they arrested him and took him away," Branden Ingle, Cross' neighbor said.

Friday afternoon, Ingle watched as police filled his neighborhood and arrested the Niles City police officer who lives across the street.

"They had him bent over the fence, guns drawn, hands in the air, [a] state trooper came up here, they threw him in the state trooper car and they took off," Ingle said.

Right now police are staying quiet about the investigation, but neighbors say investigators were in and out of Cross' house carrying boxes and plastic bags.

"You think you're safe in your own neighborhood, then you have a police officer next door that gets arrested," said Cross' next door neighbor, Mark Jann. "He always seemed like a nice guy to me and I always felt a little safer knowing that there's a police officer next door. The neighborhood even got quieter."

Officers at the Berrien County Jail said Cross was booked and released on Friday. According to the Niles City Police Department, the officer should be arraigned Monday.

In Michigan, almost all sex crimes are classified as Criminal Sexual Conduct. Generally, First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct is rape, but there are many sub-categories. To learn more about the charge click here.

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