Berrien Springs

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.

Police say a man accused of manipulating an ATM in Berrien Springs and others across our region to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars has been captured by the FBI in Jacksonville, Florida. John Crabtree, 50, was arrested by FBI agents Tuesday and will be extradited back to Michigan by the Michigan Department of Corrections. Crabtree was tracked across several states before being captured, say police.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — There was no arrest and no charges were filed against a Berrien Springs mother accused of child abuse, but that could change. Rebecca Twomley is a mother of three. She was surprised by allegations of child abuse in her small town. "I must not be up on the latest news," Twomley said. Berrien Springs police would not release the name of the mother of two who is accused of handcuffing her 16-year-old son as a form of discipline.

NILES — A Niles High School senior faces up to five years in prison after pleading no contest to failing to stop at a serious personal injury accident Jan. 5 in downtown Berrien Springs. Bradley Dean Osban, 18, of Allen Road in Dowagiac, entered his plea Wednesday afternoon after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing on the matter. He remains free on $20,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced April 5. The maximum penalty is five years in prison, a $5,000 fine plus court costs.

Andrews University is teaming up with Green Earth Electronics Recycling to offer the community the chance to safely recycle electronics. Drop off is 3 to 7 p.m. today (Wednesday, Sept.7) at the Andrews University Transportation Building (north side of campus near water tower). The university is a half mile east of the U.S. 31 Bypass in Berrien Springs. Accepted items include: Computers, laptops, monitors, TVs, telephones, cameras, DVD players, cords/cables, printers, toner cartridges, cell phones, refrigerators, air conditioners, appliances and any other electronic items or items with a cord.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - A South Bend attorney has pleaded guilty to charges of aiding and abetting mail and wire fraud. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Monday that 49-year-old Thomas Lewis III had signed a petition to enter a guilty plea to 13 felony counts. He is accused of helping a man named Byron Canada of Berrien Springs, Mich., to bilk people out of more than $735,000. The 62-year-old Canada was sentenced in December to 11 years in prison for defrauding real estate developers and churches of more than $2.7 million while presenting himself as a priest associated with the University of Notre Dame.

It was a scary morning for a group headed to the beach Monday morning as their car caught on fire, then exploded. Four people from Elkhart were on their way to Silver Beach on the U.S. 31 North Bypass about 10 when they say they heard some strange noises from the car. A few minutes later it caught on fire near Berrien Springs. They managed to get out of the car and save a lot of their belongings just before what appeared to be the gas tank exploded. Fire crews did get the fire out, but the car was destroyed.

INDIANA Boys Clay 59, St. Joseph’s 52 Riley 52, Penn 50 Marian 65, Elkhart Central 54 Adams 52, Mishawaka 46 Warsaw 57, Concord 55 NorthWood 45, Goshen 41 Wawasee 64, Plymouth 48 Crown Point 49, Michigan City 37 Westville 59, DeMotte Covenant Chr. 50 Westview 48, Fairfield 46 Rochester 56, Manchester 34 North Judson 71, Rensselaer 33 Tippecanoe Valley 65, Southwood 50 ...

BARODA, MI - The parents of a 4-year-old boy left on a school van Friday plan to file charges, but they're not looking for any money. Don and Carrie Wilson just want to make sure what happened to her family doesn't happen to anybody else and want to make sure the driver of the van that was supposed to bring their special needs son Donnie to school Friday never provides any more transportation for the Berrien Springs Public Schools. WSBT on Sunday sat down with the family to hear what happened.

Students in Michigan head back to school today. But according to new state numbers, three schools in our area are now under state supervision. The Michigan Department of Education released its list of Persistently Lowest Achieving Schools. Benton Harbor High School, Benton Harbor's Dream Academy Charter School and Berrien Springs High School are among the 98 schools on the list. The schools are required by law to develop and implement an "approved redesign plan. " According to the Michigan Department of Education, there are four redesign plan options: Transformational Model - Districts would address four specific areas: 1)