Basic HTML Version
No. 49
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
December 6 - 12, 2012
w w w . a s s o c i a t e d n e w s p a p e r s . n e t
A Wayne woman's credit
card was used to make more
than $4,000 in purchases after
it was stolen from her purse
along with her wallet while
shewas shopping.
See page 5.
Six local volunteers at the
Romulus Animal Shelter give
as much time as they can to
perform various chores at the
facility to help the animals and
find themhomes.
See page 4.
Distribution of emergency
food by Plymouth Community
United Way is scheduled from
9:30 until 11 a.m. Thursday,
Dec. 20.
See page 3.
The Northville Historical
Society will present the 30th
Annual Christmas in the
Village beginning at 1:30
Sunday, Dec. 9, with an old
fashionedChristmas.
See page 3.
Rufus Thomas Brandon II
will serve 120 days in jail and
two years on probation for his
part in the death of two
Belleville teens last July.
See page 4.
Vol. 127, No. 49
Vol. 65, No. 49
Vol. 65, No. 49
Vol. 12, No. 49
Vol. 12, No. 49
Vol. 127, No. 49
Vol. 65, No. 49
Vol. 65, No. 49
Canton Township police
arrested a 57-year-old Inkster
man recently who was alleged-
ly attempting to steal a 42-inch
television from the Walmart
store onMichiganAvenue.
See page 5.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Jeffrey Jedrusik has been
named as the new police chief
in the City of Westland after 18
years with the department ris-
ing from patrol officer to
deputy chief.
See page 3.
The fastest growing church in
the United States is coming to
NorthvilleTownship.
Detroit-based Triumph Church,
a 15,000 member congregation
with more than five ancillary loca-
tions, has reached an agreement
with the township to use a 20-acre
site onBeckRoad.
The agreement will allow
Triumph church to occupy the for-
mer Women of Purpose location
between Five and Six Mile roads
on thewest side of BeckRoad.
According to township officials,
the church can use the existing
site and buildings for religious
purposes, including church servic-
es on Wednesdays, Saturdays and
Sundays after 6:30 p.m. Any
expansion of buildings at the site
would have to be submitted to the
township Planning Commission
for review.
Triumph representatives said
the church would use the 1,200
square foot sanctuary, the 400-seat
chapel, the administrative offices,
an adjacent children's building,
the fitness center and the indoor
lap pool. Triumph has been locat-
ed in southwest Detroit since 1920
and also has an outreach church
located at Canton High School.
Senior pastor the Rev. Solomon W.
Kinloch reported that the church
is growing by an average of 4,000
members monthly, according to
the churchwebsite.
Area residents had voiced con-
cerns during the special land use
hearings before the planning com-
mission. Several residents voiced
objections to the possibility of
increased traffic on the already
busyBeckRoad.
There was a dispute, too, as to
the validity of the special land use
permit by Triumph. The location
had previously been used for
church services and spokesmen
fromTriumph said that the church
was ready for litigation should
their use of the facilities have
beendenied.
The township hired law firm
Johnson-Rosati to work with the
church to find mutually agreeable
terms for use of the site. The
agreement signed recently will
avoid litigation, officials said, but
will not allow any addition to the
current buildings without town-
ship approval through the usual
The Rotary Club will offer
two public concerts at 7 p.m.
Dec. 7 andDec. 8 featuring "Mr.
Steve" of SteveSongs as a
fundraiser.
See page 3.
Judge Michael Gerou of the
35th District Court in Plymouth
has ordered two defendants
charged in the death of a 19-
month-old toddler to stand trial on
charges of involuntary manslaugh-
ter and second-degree child
abuse.
"This case is a horrible tragedy,"
Gerou said, as he ordered the
mother of Silas Rodgers, Andrea
Nicole Rodgers, 20, and her
boyfriend, Ryan Keith Moody, 25,
bound over for trial following a
preliminary examination on the
evidence.
Prosecutors allege that the pair,
living on Maben Road in Canton
Township at the time of the child's
death, were negligent in allowing
the toddler access to Suboxone, a
drug used to treat heroin addition.
The drug had been prescribed to
Moody. Canton police investigators
testified that months prior to the
baby's death early on June 9, he
had suffered a deadly overdose of
the same drug. Testimony indicat-
ed that at that time his mother
found him with the pill in his
mouth and took him to a medical
facility for treatment.
The night before the child died,
he got a pill from a container
Moody kept near a bed and put it
in a bottle of Mountain Dew,
according to investigator's testimo-
ny at the hearing. Rodgers then
researched the potential effects of
the drug online, but did not take
the child formedical help, he said.
Canton medical emergency
personnel responded to a 911 call
on the morning of June 9 and dis-
covered the child unresponsive in
the house. Police discovered a
large amount of vomit in the living
room and a bedroom at the time,
according to court testimony.
The toddler's death was caused
by medication poisoning, accord-
ing to Dr. Bader Cassin of the
Wayne CountyMedical Examiner's
Office. The drug caused the child's
brain to swell and his lungs to fill
with chemical fluid, Cassin testi-
fied.
Attorney Michael Rataj, the
attorney for Rodgers, told Gerou
that the death was an accident.
Moody's attorney, Jeffrey Osment
asked for a dismissal of the
charges, a request denied by
Gerou.
A Pearl Harbor Remembrance
is planned for 8 a.m. until noon
tomorrow, Dec. 7 at the Western
Campus of Wayne County
CommunityCollegeDistrict.
The event is planned to honor
themilitarymen andwomenwho
fought during the Dec. 7, 1941
Japanese invasion of the United
States at Pearl Harbor inHawaii.
There will be conversation
regarding the direct contributions
of southeastern Michigan during
World War II, which will include
the significant role of Ford Motor
Co. in the development of the
Willow Run Airport and the mass
production of airplanes and other
military weapons, a college
spokesperson said.
“We will honor those veterans
and their families for the many
sacrifices rendered for their
country while serving in active
duty during the start ofWorldWar
II andbeyond,” she added.
Topics will include the histori-
cal events and occurrences which
led to the German invasion
throughout Europe and the
Japanese invasion of American
soil, the history of Willow Run
Airport and how the Yankee Air
Museum played a major part in
Student members of the
National Honor Society (NHS) at
Romulus High School have been
recognized for their efforts dur-
ing the recent Presidential
Election.
About 20 students served as
election workers on Nov. 6,
assisting the office of City Clerk
Ellen Craig-Bragg at the polls.
City officials presented a resolu-
tion to the NHS members at the
Nov. 26 meeting of the city coun-
cil.
The resolution, which is
signed by Craig-Bragg, Mayor
Alan Lambert and the other
eight elected city officials,
expresses the city's “deep appre-
ciation” for the excellent service
and efforts of the students during
thePresidential Election.
“The students were just out-
standing,” Craig-Bragg said. “We
received many compliments
about them.”
City Council Chairman LeRoy
Burcroff agreed, saying he
watched the young election
workers in action and even
received assistance from them.
Burcroff said he was proud that
the students were well prepared
and stepped up when the city
needed them.
The NHS is a premier organi-
zation established to recognize
outstanding students in high
school and middle school.
Chapter membership in the
NHS recognizes students for
their accomplishments and chal-
lenges them to develop further
through active involvement in
school activities and community
service.
President Jada Rachal, one of
about 40 students in the NHS
chapter at Romulus High, said
members have at least a 3.5
grade-point average, have a posi-
tive attitude and uphold the
qualities of scholarship, service,
leadership and character.
See
Students,
page 2
See
College,
page 4
See
Death,
page 2
See
Church,
page 2
National Honor Society students at Romulus High School receive recognition from city officials at the Nov. 26 city council meeting. In the front
row, from left, are NHS members Carly Paul (vice president), Kyle Brown, Sierra Scott, Alyx Johnson, Jada Rachal (president), Gabrielle Miller,
Mariah Laird, Samantha Stobbe, Marquelle Ballard, Muhammad Sumbal, Taryn Garrison and Zipporah Williams. Behind them are
Councilwoman Linda Choate (left), Councilman John Barden, City Treasurer Stacy Paige, Councilman William Crova, Council Chairman
LeRoy Burcroff, Councilwoman Celeste Roscoe, Councilman William Wadsworth, Chief of Staff Betsey Krampitz and City Clerk Ellen Craig-
Bragg.
We are excited for this
development and the
opportunity to expand.
”
Canton medical emergency personnel responded
to a 911 call on the morning of June 9 and
discovered the child unresponsive in the house.
”
Northville OK’s Detroit mega church plan
Couple ordered to face trial in drug overdose death of toddler
City recognizes student election workers
Special Pearl Harbor remembrance set for tomorrow