BERRIEN COUNTY TRIAL COURT NEWS- ST JOSEPH COURTHOUSE

ST. JOSEPH – A Galien couple is going to prison for the next two decades after being convicted of abusing one of their children. Meanwhile, a Berrien County Sheriff’s Department lieutenant convicted of shoplifting in early February found out that he had lost his job.
Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey said last week that he terminated Trent Babcock’s employment with the department Monday after an internal investigation. Babcock was an 18-year veteran of the department and had just recently been transferred from duties in Niles Township to St. Joseph.
Bailey said he could not go into any details of the internal investigation but did say that Babcock was paid through last Monday when he was terminated. Babcock had been on paid administrative leave since the shoplifting incident took place in early February.
Bailey said he will now look to fill Babcock’s position by promoting a sergeant to be a new lieutenant. A current deputy will then be promoted to a sergeant position and a new deputy will be hired, he said.
Babcock, 41, of Walling Lane in Niles, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of third-degree retail fraud March 3 in Berrien County Trial Court in Niles and was sentenced to pay $435 in fines and costs.
The police report of the incident indicates that a Niles Wal-Mart store video from Feb. 7 showed Babcock loading up a shopping cart with groceries and exiting the store without paying for them. He was confronted the next day and admitted to taking the items.
The value of the groceries taken was put at $184. Of that amount, Babcock returned $172 worth of groceries on Feb. 8, turning the items over to Det./Lt. Greg Sanders of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department.
Bailey said the investigation of the criminal case was done by an Allegan County Sheriff’s Department detective at his request to avoid conflict of interest concerns.
A Galien couple who severely abused one of their children were sentenced last week in Berrien County Trial Court by Judge Dennis Wiley in St. Joseph. Aaron and Alicia Zemke pleaded no contest to first-degree child abuse and faced up to a maximum of life in prison.
Judge Wiley sentenced Aaron Zemke, 34, and Alicia Zemke, 32, to prison terms of 20 to 80 years in prison for first-degree child abuse. They also cannot have any contact with any of their six children until the children are adults. The boy abused was Aaron Zemke’s son and Alicia Zemke’s stepson.
The abuse against the boy occurred between January 2014 and August 2016 when the boy ran away from the Zemke home in Galien Township and was found asleep along railroad tracks. The boy was 11 and 12 at the time of the abuse.
The boy testified in an earlier hearing that he was starved and beaten with both a broom handle and a belt during that time period. Other children in the home were also removed and are under the care of Child Protective Services.
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