Tuesday, November 11

Michigan

Man killed in Cass County crash after crossing centerline and striking truck trailer
Michigan

Man killed in Cass County crash after crossing centerline and striking truck trailer

CASS COUNTY, MI – A 42-year-old man was killed in a two-vehicle crash Monday evening near the intersection of US-12 and M-217 in Porter Township, according to Sheriff Clint Roach. The Cass County Sheriff's Office was called to the scene at approximately 6:02 p.m. on October 27, 2025. The investigation determined that James Hettmansperger of Vandalia was driving a Jeep Liberty eastbound on US-12 when he lost control, crossed the centerline, and struck the rear end of a westbound GMC Sierra pickup and trailer. The GMC was being driven by 44-year-old Brett White of Elkhart, Indiana. The Jeep collided with the front of the trailer before veering off the roadway and coming to rest near a utility pole. Emergency crews from SEPSA Ambulance and SEPSA Fire Department attempted life-sav...
Sixth Circuit allows lawsuit over student Nerf gun prank arrest to proceed
Michigan

Sixth Circuit allows lawsuit over student Nerf gun prank arrest to proceed

DETROIT, MI — The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that two Oakland University students may proceed with their lawsuit against campus police officers and university administrators after they were arrested and suspended for their alleged role in a campus prank involving a Nerf gun. The case stems from a March 2022 incident in which three students, including Ryan Geheb and Andrew Evans, drove around campus while another student pointed a toy Nerf gun out the window and shouted “Give me all your money!” at pedestrians. Although Geheb and Evans were not the ones wielding the toy, they were arrested for armed robbery and later cited for disturbing the peace. They spent a night in jail and were immediately suspended from school. Geheb and Evans sued campus officers and administ...
Driver officially identified in deadly Tesla crash on Katy Freeway
Michigan, Texas

Driver officially identified in deadly Tesla crash on Katy Freeway

HOUSTON, TX – Police have officially identified the driver charged in connection with a fiery crash on the Katy Freeway that left two people dead as 21-year-old Ariel Perry Stewart. The crash occurred around 1:14 a.m. on October 19, 2025, in the inbound lanes of the Katy Freeway near the Taylor Street Bridge. According to police, Stewart was behind the wheel of a Tesla when it rear-ended a Nissan at high speed, causing the Nissan to catch fire. Both occupants of the Nissan were trapped and pronounced deceased at the scene. Court documents and family members have identified the victims as 22-year-old Bianca Romero and her boyfriend, Christian Rangel. After the initial impact, the Tesla struck barriers on both sides of the freeway before coming to a stop. A passenger in the Tesl...
Student from Michigan charged and released on bond following a deadly fiery Tesla crash early Friday morning in Houston
Michigan, Texas

Student from Michigan charged and released on bond following a deadly fiery Tesla crash early Friday morning in Houston

HOUSTON, TX – Two people were killed early Friday morning after a Tesla, allegedly driven by 21-year-old Ariel Perry Stewart, a student from Michigan, rear-ended a Nissan at high speed on the Katy Freeway inbound near the Taylor Street Bridge. https://youtu.be/U6UNplin79c The crash occurred around 1:14 a.m. The impact caused the Nissan to catch fire, trapping both the driver and a passenger inside. They were pronounced deceased at the scene. Family members identified the victims as 22-year-old Bianca Romero and her boyfriend, Christian Rangel, according to local news sources, which matches the information listed in court documents. (Officials have not yet publicly released the victims’ or suspects' identities.) Following the collision, the Tesla struck barriers on both sides of ...
Court allows excessive force lawsuit to proceed against one officer in fatal Nashville shooting
Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee

Court allows excessive force lawsuit to proceed against one officer in fatal Nashville shooting

NASHVILLE, TN, October 17, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that a lawsuit filed by the widow of Landon Eastep may proceed against one Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officer accused of using excessive force, while granting qualified immunity to eight other officers involved in the fatal 2022 highway shooting. The case stems from a 35-minute standoff on Interstate 65, where nine officers from multiple agencies fired approximately 33 rounds at Eastep, striking him 12 times. Video evidence confirmed that Eastep, who had initially displayed a box cutter, was shot after raising an unidentified object that officers mistook for a firearm. According to court documents, the Sixth Circuit found that most officers acted reasonably in using deadly fo...
Court upholds search of Cleveland man’s home in drug and firearms case
Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee

Court upholds search of Cleveland man’s home in drug and firearms case

CLEVELAND, OH, October 17, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress evidence filed by Devin Long, who pleaded guilty to federal drug and firearms charges after officers recovered narcotics and weapons from his home. According to court records, Drug Enforcement Administration task force officers began investigating a drug trafficking network involving methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. During multiple controlled buys, investigators observed Long coordinating with other suspects and engaging in what they believed to be drug transactions. Surveillance linked Long to a residence on East 35th Street, which he had registered with the Ohio Adult Parole Authority as his home address. A federal magistrate judge authorized ...
Court upholds dismissal of former Michigan corrections officer’s lawsuit over termination
Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee

Court upholds dismissal of former Michigan corrections officer’s lawsuit over termination

GRAND RAPIDS, MI, October 17, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by former Michigan Department of Corrections officer Charles Bozzo, who alleged that his firing in 2019 violated his constitutional right to due process. Bozzo sued MDOC Director Heidi Washington and Discipline Coordinator Jennifer Nanasy under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, claiming that the department relied on false allegations and an unfair arbitration process to terminate him following workplace misconduct complaints. The district court dismissed the suit as time-barred and for failure to state a claim. According to the ruling, Bozzo was terminated on July 31, 2019, after a coworker accused him of making harassing remarks. He pursued arbitration through his u...
Court denies Guatemalan man’s appeal to reopen immigration case for voluntary departure
Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee

Court denies Guatemalan man’s appeal to reopen immigration case for voluntary departure

CINCINNATI, OH, October 17, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has denied a petition from Guatemalan national Juan Carlos Pastor-Hernandez, who sought to reopen his removal proceedings in order to apply for voluntary departure from the United States. According to court records, Pastor-Hernandez entered the country illegally in 2014 and was ordered removed after his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture were denied. He later sought to reopen his case following the Supreme Court’s decision in Niz-Chavez v. Garland, arguing that the ruling allowed him to pursue voluntary departure because his initial notice to appear did not meet statutory requirements. To qualify for voluntary departure, immigrants m...
Sixth Circuit upholds firearms trafficking enhancement in Elias Pagan case involving undercover gun and drug sales
Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee

Sixth Circuit upholds firearms trafficking enhancement in Elias Pagan case involving undercover gun and drug sales

CINCINNATI, OH – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the firearms trafficking sentencing enhancement imposed on Elias Pagan, who pleaded guilty to multiple drug and firearm offenses after selling crack cocaine and firearms to an undercover agent in Cleveland. Pagan sold five firearms and crack cocaine across multiple transactions in 2023. The undercover agent, posing as a buyer, asked about illegal firearm modifications, used a hidden compartment in his vehicle, and bought drugs—factors the court found sufficient to establish Pagan had “reason to believe” the firearms would be used unlawfully. This met the criteria for the trafficking enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(5) (2021). The court rejected Pagan’s argument that the enhancement amounted to impr...
Sixth Circuit denies Amir Beigali’s appeal for sentence reduction tied to stacked firearm convictions
Louisiana, Michigan, Tennessee

Sixth Circuit denies Amir Beigali’s appeal for sentence reduction tied to stacked firearm convictions

CINCINNATI, OH – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has denied Amir Karim Beigali’s appeal seeking a sentence reduction based on changes under the First Step Act and amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines. Beigali, currently serving a 35-year federal sentence for attempting to possess cocaine and for a second conviction of using a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, argued that recent legal changes—particularly the First Step Act’s revision to the “stacking” provision under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)—should entitle him to a sentence reduction. He also cited Amendments 814 and 821 to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which address unusually long sentences and criminal history scoring. The Sixth Circuit upheld the district court’s decision, finding that Bei...