COURT NEWS – 10-10-19

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent

CASSOPOLIS – Prison sentences were handed down last week in three high profile cases last week, including the 2016 death of a two year old girl near Dowagiac, the shooting and robbery outside Ameriwood Industries in January and the April armed robbery of a liquor store near Niles.

Lance Reeves, 47, of Pearl Street in St. Joseph, pleaded no contest in August to charges of second-degree child abuse and

manslaughter and was sentenced last week to concurrent terms of five to 10 years in prison for child abuse and six to 15 years in prison for manslaughter. He has credit for 274 days already served and must pay $1,826 in fines and costs.

The incident occurred Oct. 19, 2016 at a home in Silver Creek Township near Dowagiac. Reeves and the child’s mother rushed two-year-old Savannah Gardner to the hospital where she later died from a broken back and other injuries. Reeves reportedly told a friend that he was afraid he had killed her.

“This was simply wrong and criminal,” Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said. “Her family shouldn’t have had to face this, she was literally broken in half. This was not accidental … the violence perpetuated was overwhelming. The doctor said the injury created paralysis and quick death.”

Reeves and his attorney, Paul Jancha, painted a much different picture of what happened. Jancha said Reeves and the girl’s mother had been away from the house right before discovered the little girl injured and then rushed her to the hospital. “He was a stay at home dad and there’s no indication he did anything to hurt the child,” he said.

“I’ve sat in jail trying to think exactly how this happened,” Reeves said. “I’ve done everything in my life to not be here. I was in foster care and my biological family was always in court. I did everything to not be that way. I am a decorated veteran, I have stood up to protect the innocent … I’m sorry this happened, I don’t know what happened but I take responsibility. I feel like I let a lot of people down. I am as lost as they are.”

“There are no winners today, only losers,” Cass County Circuit Judge Mark Herman said. “… The only question is why and how this happened. You say you have no recollection of harming her but that you’re sorry if you did anything.”

Eric Demetrius Houston, 20, of South Bend, was found guilty of eight robbery and weapons charges after a late August jury trial and was sentenced to prison Friday. The incident occurred Jan. 21 when Houston and a group of others met Hartford resident James Smith outside Ameriwood Industries for a drug sale. Smith ended up being shot four times and his car stolen.

Houston received concurrent terms of 11 years three months to 30 years in prison for two counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, conspiracy to commit car jacking and conspiracy to commit unarmed robbery, all as a habitual offender.

He was also sentenced to four concurrent terms of two years in prison for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The felony firearm prison terms are consecutive to the robbery and car jacking sentences. He has credit for 255 days already served and must pay $2,524 in fines and costs.

Fitz described it as a “chilling case” that was “a couple of inches away from murder” as the victim ended up being shot four times. “Part of my job is to protect the public,” he said. “I note the callous nature of the defendant. When asked why he didn’t call an ambulance when the victim was bleeding out, he said ‘why, ain’t my problem’.”

Houston apologized and said he didn’t know what was going on when he went along for the ride. “Nobody should ever be shot, I have to learn from my mistakes,” he said.

A mother and daughter from Niles were sentenced to prison for their role in the April 23 robbery of the Sunrise Liquor store on Huntly Road near Niles.

Tajah Latrece Martin, 21, of Platt Street, and her mother, Lori

Lynn Woods, 45, of Yankee Street, pleaded guilty to armed robbery causing serious injury and conspiracy to commit armed robbery causing serious injury and were each sentenced to two concurrent terms of 92 months to 15 years in prison.

Martin has credit for 158 days already served and must pay $2,016 in fines, costs and restitution. Woods has credit for 151 days served and must pay $2,016 in fines, costs and restitution.

The incident occurred April 23 when they and a third person, Bernard Gaston, robbed the Sunrise Liquor party store on Huntly Road and injured the clerk, Ranjit Singh Gill. Gaston is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 18.

Fitz noted that both women went out of their way to injure Gill. Woods jammed the door into his head and then walked across him. Martin stomped on the man’s head. “They had no care for the safety of the victim, such an injury can cause brain damage or death,” he said. “Their goal was filthy lucre.”

Judge Herman noted that Woods and Gaston, her boyfriend, were tracked to Forler’s Motel on Yankee Street. Woods first denied being there but later admitted they robbed the store because she needed money to pay the rent.