Berrien County

BERRIEN COUNTY - The Berrien County prosecutor says it's dangerous for the public, but there's no other choice. So far this year, judges there have allowed more than 340 people to get out of jail early and let dozens of others off with no jail time at all. The reason? There simply isn't enough room in the jail. State law allows the county's chief judge to decide which prisoners should be let out early and which offenders get off without serving any jail time at all because of overcrowding.

STEVENSVILLE, Mich. - Police are naming the two teens who died when their car collided with a semi on I-94 in Berrien County. The Lincoln Charter Township Police Department say police and medics were called to I-94 near the 24-mile marker shortly after 4:30 p.m. Sunday after several 911 calls of a head-on collision. Witnesses said a passenger car traveling west apparently swerved to avoid a piece of tire in the highway and hit a box truck on the right heading in the same direction.

ST. JOSEPH - We still don't know who won Election Day races in Berrien County That's because of a problem after ballots were cast. Late Tuesday night, Berrien County's election computer server crashed in the county clerk's office. That means they have to count the ballots from all 62 precincts by hand. That's what they've been doing all night and into today. Crews have been trying to get another computer but so far haven't been successful. Canvas crews were scheduled to be in St. Joseph at 1 p.m. to pick up the totals, so they had to be done by then.

BERRIEN COUNTY - Berrien County dispatch confirmed that at least two people are injured in an accident on I-94. This occurred near the 17 mile marker around 2 p.m. on Thursday. Dispatch says they do not know the conditions of those who are injured. Stay with WSBT.com for updates as they become available.

BERRIEN COUNTY - A 70-year-old Berrien County masseur has been arrested after one of his clients complained he touched her inappropriately. According to investigators, Johan Albert Abrahams was operating a massage business out of his home in Berrien Springs when a 39-year-old client told police that he began touching her in inappropriate places against her will. She told police that she came forward because of what happened but also to make sure no one else became a victim.

BERRIEN COUNTY - The Berrien County law enforcement community is mourning a loss today. Deputy Mike Moore died Wednesday at home surrounded by family after a three-year battle with cancer. Moore worked as a sheriff's deputy for 13 years and was just 35-years-old. A memorial has been set up along Niles Avenue where Moore's visitation will be held and outside the jail where he also worked.   In 2009, he was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer.

UNION PIER, MI - A suspected drug house in Berrien County has been busted. Just before 6:30 Tuesday night, members of the county's Narcotics Unit raided a home in the 15900 block of Goodwin Ave. in Union Pier and found marijuana, prescription pills, suspected cocaine and heroin and other evidence of illegal drug activity. 30-year-old Nicole Buckler and 34-year-old Ronte Smothers were hauled to the Berrien County Jail and charged with maintaining a drug house and possession of marijuana, their second offense for each.

SAWYER, Mich. - A popular Berrien County garden shop and tourist stop was hit by fire on Wednesday, but fortunately, it wasn't big enough to close the business. Fire was spotted in the ceiling of the Sawyer Garden Center around 10:40 a.m., forcing Chikaming Township and Bridgman fire crews into action. Firefighters were able to make quick of the blaze. WSBT has learned it was an electrical fire with small flames and a lot of smoke. An employee says the entire center filled with smoke.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. - Good news on the job front in Berrien County. Whirlpool Corporation announced Monday plans to add at least 180 jobs to its Benton Harbor and St. Joseph facilities. It's part of the company's effort to centralize its refrigeration product development operations. In a news release, the company did not say when the local jobs would be available, although Whirlpool did tell employees at its Evansville, Ind. Refrigeration Product Development Center operations there will close by the end of 2014.

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. - Teenage pregnancy rates in Berrien County are some of the highest in Michigan. And the county has the highest pregnancy rate for black teenagers in the state. That's according to the Berrien County Health Department. WSBT spoke with a local health official and a mother who had a child in her teens. Melissa Hartley will tell you that being a mom is hard enough. She says being a teen mom is even more difficult. “I'm not going to let it happen to my kids,” Hartley said.

A 91-year-old Buchanan woman is dead after an accident in Berrien County. The accident happened just after 6 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of US 12 and Mayflower Road. Police say a car attempting to cross US 12 pulled in front of another car headed east on the highway.  Francis Young was a passenger in that vehicle. She died in the crash.  The drivers of both vehicles were taken to nearby hospitals. Their injuries are not life threatening.  Police say the construction at that intersection was a factor in the crash and they urge drivers to use caution until the roadwork is complete. 

BERRIEN COUNTY-- More than 2,500 people in Berrien County are still without power after Wednesday night's storm. More than 250 additional repair people are working on electric lines in the area.   The power company estimates that electricity should be restored to everyone in Benton Harbor and Watervliet by 8 Friday night and by 8 Saturday night for people in Coloma.      In the meantime, people continue to adjust to...

A box truck carrying computer equipment flipped over on M-139 and Marquette Woods Road in Royalton Township of Berrien County around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. WSBT reporter on scene says the truck was driving south bound when a sedan pulled out in front of the truck. The driver made it out, and the elderly woman driving the sedan has been taken to the hospital complaining of shoulder pain and difficulty breathing.  

SOUTH BEND -- Despite a lot of bravado in the buildup to storms across the Michiana area on Wednesday, the storms themselves were largely anticlimatic. A widespread, damaging derecho did not materialize as of late Wednesday. That's not to say the storms packed no punch. A pair of buildings in downtown Mishawaka were damaged from Wednesday night's storms, according to a WSBT-TV photographer at the scene. The station reported a brick facade fell off a building at Main and Eighth streets, while at Main and Mishawaka Avenue part of a building's roof collapsed.

COVERT, Mich. - A high speed chase Friday night led police through parts of Van Buren and Berrien Counties. A Berrien County dispatcher told WSBT the chase started in Van Buren County went across the line into Berrien County before finally ending back in Van Buren County. It began around 8 p.m., ending in a field off 44 th Ave. and 78 th Street in Covert. CLICK HERE for map. The vehicle being chased was an Amtrak utility truck. There was no word if it was stolen.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... NORTHERN LA PORTE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST INDIANA... BERRIEN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN... * UNTIL 1115 PM EDT/1015 PM CDT/ * AT 932 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR BEVERLY SHORES...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH. HAZARD...60 MPH WIND GUSTS.

The cool temperatures will likely keep you out of the water this Memorial Day, but Monday is still the unofficial start of summer and officials want to remind you to stay safe when you do get out on the lake. The Berrien County Sheriff's Marine Division says many boats are starting to get out on the water.  According to the U.S Coast Guard, 90% of people who drown in boating or water accidents would be alive today if they had been wearing a life jacket. For children, this is not just a safety tip - It's the law!

Be proud of who you are! You are wonderful just the way you are!   That was the message at last night's Girls on the Run of Berrien County 5k Run.   Close to two-thousand people, most of them young girls from elementary schools all around Southwest Michigan, participated in the event, sponsored by the United Way.   The program is in 210 cities around the country and started in Berrien County 5 years go. ...

ST. JOSEPH-- Monday was a relatively calm day on Lake Michigan, but it's what you can't see that could be dangerous. From 2000 to 2010, rip currents killed more people nationwide than tornadoes, and with summer fast approaching, Berrien County Commissioners are taking steps to keep your visit to the beach safe. County commissioners are considering a proposal to install a dozen life rings that would be spaced out along the pier. The pier at Silver Beach County Park had life preserver rings 20 years ago, but they were removed due to vandalism.

We are just learning about a massive drug bust in Berrien County. A Michigan State Police trooper stopped a car early Friday morning for weaving out of the lane of I-94. During a search of the car, he found about 160 pounds of pot hidden inside duffle bags in the back of the vehicle. The 36-year-old driver is in the Berrien County jail this morning on charges of possession with intent to deliver. His 3-year-old son, who was also in the car, was placed with relatives through CPS.