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The parents of a 3-month-old infant were
arrested at Annapolis Hospital where their
son was taken by Wayne-Westland para-
medicsDec. 19.
Police and emergency crews responded
to a call from the Palmer Terrace
Apartments on Venoy Road in Westland at
1:15 p.m. reporting a baby not breathing,
according to police reports. The baby,
Joshua Wilson, was initially taken to
Annapolis Hospital in Wayne but airlifted
on a survival flight to the University of
Michigan Hospital due to the severity of his
injuries, police said. He died at 5:11 p.m. at
theAnnArbor hospital.
His parents, Josh Wilson and Kelli
Worth, both 21, face criminal charges in his
death.
The baby was reportedly bruised over
his entire body, including his arms and legs
and suffered a ruptured spleen. According
to police accounts of the infant's condition,
“Therewere signs of ongoing abuse.”
The parents were arraigned Dec. 21 in
18th District Court in Westland on charges
of felony murder and second-degree child
abuse. Not-guilty pleas were entered for
them.
The pair remains in police custodywhile
awaiting further court proceedings.
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January 3, 2013
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B
ELLEVILLE
- R
OMULUS
- W
ESTLAND
Veteran’s group thanks
local business for help
High school closed due to threats, rumors
21-year-old parents charged in death of infant
For 25 years, members of the Rolling
Thunder have assisted veterans, the active
military and their families, providing finan-
cial aid, food, clothing and other essentials.
They also take time to say thank you to
those who help make their charity work pos-
sible.
Representatives of Rolling Thunder
Chapter 5 recently thanked management of
the Belleville Walmart store for allowing
them to sell many of the 2,000 raffle tickets
that allow the group to provide help when
they need itmost.
Chapter President Elaine Levin of
Whitmore Lake, Vice President Keith
Brockette of Ypsilanti and other representa-
tives presented a plaque to Store Manager
Andy Branham and Co-Manager Eric
Johnson.
“Donations are the only source of income
for our chapter,” said Brockette, who served
in the Army from 1983 to 1985. “We use those
funds to donate to veterans who need it. We
pay electric and gas bills and buy lumber for
a ramp if a veteran has lost his legs at war.
We buy clothing to donate to a veterans
homeless shelter. We just wanted to say
thanks.”
Branham said supporting the Rolling
Thunder is important toWalmart.
“Supporting our veterans is our duty,”
Branham said. “They've given somuch to us -
wewant to return it to them. Plus, this goes to
the local community that supports us.”
Incorporated nationwide in 1995, many
members of Rolling Thunder are veterans
and/or ride motorcycles, but neither is a
requirement.
A quarter century after the group was
founded, members are united in the cause to
bring full accountability for prisoners of war
(POW) and those missing in action (MIA).
They ride to Washington, D.C. every
Memorial Day weekend to remind govern-
ment officials, the media and the public “We
will not forget.”
“About 90 percent of us ride a motorcy-
cle,” Brockette said. “We have members that
are veterans and members that are not. The
desire to help a veteran is all you need to be
amember.”
As a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization,
the Rolling Thunder hosts several fundrais-
ers throughout the year, including the raffle
and spaghetti dinner this year. Tickets also
were sold at $5 each festivals around the
region fromHowell toHamburg.
Levin, whose son, Steve, served in the
Marines, said the “big response” to the raffle
was key to allowing Chapter 5 to donate to
the Michigan Veterans Foundation in
Detroit, the Hiot House in Ann Arbor and
Home Zone inWhitmore Lake - all homeless
shelters for veterans - along with other veter-
ans inneed.
Tickets also were sold by individual mem-
bers, including Romulus Building Director
Bob McCraight, a long-time Rolling Thunder
participant who gives back to veterans in
honor of his father and brother, who both
served in themilitary.
“I reached out to a lot of friends in
Romulus through Facebook who stopped
what theywere doing andheaded toWalmart
to purchase tickets and help the veterans,”
said McCraight, who was on hand for the
presentation to the storemanagement.
He also sold more than 120 tickets to City
of Romulus employees and elected officials.
“I want to thank them for their support of
Rolling Thunder and their efforts to help our
veterans,”McCraight said.
For more information on Rolling
Thunder, visit www.thepatriots.com.
Belleville High School was closed last
Friday due to rumors of potential violence
against students.
The rumors, following the shootings at
Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Connecticut were taken seriously by school
administrators. Superintendent of Schools
Michael Van Tassel released a memo in
which he cited the rumors of violence, He
said the threats had been investigated and
determined to be groundless and there
were no credible threats against any stu-
dents.
He said that he hadmade the decision to
cancel classes at the high school on Friday
due to themajor distraction to learning and
the anxiety among the students the rumors
had caused.
"Although I am always reluctant to can-
cel classes, I feel it is a most appropriate
decision given the gravity of recent events
and our current situation," he said in the
memo. Classes at the elementary schools
went onwithout interruption onFriday. Van
Tassel did say that there would be
increased security in all the building and a
police presence throughout the day. The
security team from the high school spent
the day at the seven other schools in the dis-
trict.
Van Buren Police Capt. Greg Laurain
said officers were working with the school
district and the Belleville Police
Department to patrol the schools within the
communities as frequently as possible.
Therewere no incidents reported.
Belleville Walmart Co-Manager Eric Johnson (left) and Store Manager Andy Branham
accept a plaque from Rolling Thunder members Keith and Sonna Brockette, Elaine Levin
and Bob McCraight. Also in the photo is the Brockettes' granddaughter, Joyia.