By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH, MI – Berrien County Commissioners handled a number of items at their meeting last week, thanked Interim County Administrator Mike Sepic for his service, and heard reports from the Sheriff’s Office, the County Treasurer, and the county’s medical examiner.
Commissioners bid goodbye and thanked Sepic, who retired as county prosecutor in 2020, for his efforts over the last several months. New County Administrator Juan Ganum started his new duties this week. Ganum was hired last month after a months long search. Sepic plans to stay on this week to help with the transition. He noted that Ganum attended a department head meeting earlier this month.
Sepic said, “It gave him a good aerial view of the county government…I can foresee a good future with his coming administration.”
In reports, Sheriff Chuck Heit and Undersheriff Greg Sanders presented service commendations to D/Sgt. Andrea Crosby and Deputy Abigail Pifer. Crosby was also honored by the St. Joseph Department of Public Safety.
The two officers acted as crisis negotiators when an armed suicidal man threatened to kill himself June 22 on the shore of Lake Michigan in St. Joseph. The incident drew officers from several agencies including the Sheriff’s Office and the City of St. Joseph.
Heit and Sanders reported that Crosby and Pifer spent two and a half hours talking to the man and were able to get him ultimately to surrender his firearm with no injury to himself or others. The man was transported to the hospital for medical care.
County Treasurer Shelly Weich gave an update on the 2026 foreclosures. She said that the county started with 1,949 parcels set for foreclosure in June of 2025 and saw that number reduced to 123 lots taken to auction in August. The county has been using an online service to conduct foreclosure auctions since the pandemic.
She said 91 parcels were sold at the Aug. 6 foreclosure auction including 34 houses, two commercial properties and 55 vacant lots. The total sales were $1.16 million and the total delinquent taxes collected was $48,695.
Weich said that a “re offer” sale will take place Sept. 25 due to three people backing out of the August sales. That sale will involve one house and two vacant lots. The final auction will be Oct. 30 with seven houses and 22 vacant lots available for a minimum bid of $100 each. People can view the properties at www.tax-sale.info.
Medical Examiner Dr. Patrick Hansma of the Western Michigan University School of Medicine presented the 2025 annual WMU medical examiner report for Berrien County. WMed provides medical examiner services for 14 counties in western Michigan.
Hansma reported that county homicides went down from previous years. He said that there were eight homicides in the county in 2024 and just three in 2025.
Overall, he said over 660 deaths were reported to his office for review out of a total of 1,792 deaths in 2025. The most common causes of death were natural causes which accounted for 515 deaths, accidents which accounted for 118 deaths and suicides which accounted for 23 deaths. The most suicides were by those ages 26 to 44.
In other news, Commissioner Jim Curran told fellow commissioners that Heit had asked him to highlight two recent incidents where Flock cameras were used to help solve crimes. Flock cameras have become controversial in many localities around the country with people concerned about privacy rights as well as corruption and abuse.
Curran said that Heit reported that a Flock camera was used to locate a vehicle on Aug. 30 that was involved in an aggravated indecent exposure case. The suspect was out of Indiana and his vehicle was caught on a Flock camera on South 11th Street in Niles Township.
The second incident was also in Niles Township on Sept. 3 when police were alerted to a stolen vehicle and a Flock camera on South 11th picked up the vehicle. The five people in the vehicle including four juveniles were apprehended after a short chase.