COURT NEWS

By DEBRA HAIGHT

BCR Correspondent

NILES – This week’s court news includes sentencings in both Berrien County Trial Court and Cass County Circuit Court.

The two people arrested in connection with a robbery at a Niles gas station were sentenced Monday in Berrien County Trial Court. Marc Fritz and Kelly Scroggins were arrested Oct. 23 in Niles at the end of a crime spree that started in Indiana near South Bend.

Scroggins, 34, of Elkhart, pleaded guilty to larceny from a person and

resisting and obstructing police and was sentenced to 12 months to 10 years in prison on the larceny charge and credit for time served, 140 days, on the resisting and obstructing charge. She must pay $198 in fines and costs.

Niles police were informed Oct. 23 by Indiana police officers that an armed robbery had occurred north of South Bend near the state line and the vehicle had fled north. Shortly after, Niles police received a call about an unarmed robbery at Pete’s Marathon on South 11th Street. Police were there within seconds and arrested Fritz and Scroggins.

Berrien County Trial Judge Charles LaSata said he gave the prison sentence both out of a need to protect the community and to send the message to Indiana residents to not come to Michigan and commit crimes.

 

Fritz, 30, of South Bend, pleaded no contest to being an accessory after the fact to unarmed robbery and was sentenced to 210 days in jail and $258 in fines and costs. He has credit for no time served as he was on parole in Indiana at the time of the incident.

A Niles man is going to prison after being sentenced on drug charges in two separate incidents.

Elbert Leon Briggs, 41, of Ferry Street in Niles, pleaded guilty to two counts of delivery/manufacture of cocaine less than

50 grams and possession of meth and was sentenced to three concurrent terms of 14 months in prison. He was given credit for time served, six days, for maintaining a drug house.

The incidents occurred Sept. 26 at a home in the 1800 block of Ferry Street in Niles as well as between Sept. 20 and 28 at locations on Ferry Street, North 13th Street and South 3rd Street in Niles.

Briggs denied selling drugs and said that the drugs he had when arrested were for his own personal use.

Garry Duane Means, 55, was sentenced last week in Cass County Circuit Court

after pleading guilty to malicious destruction of property over $1,000 and illegal entry. He received a term of three to 10 years in prison on the property damage charge and credit for time served for the illegal entry charge.

Means must pay $1,548 in fines and costs as well as nearly $3,100 in restitution to Shirley and Glenn Stewart. He has credit for 351 days already served.

The incident occurred April 15, 2017 at a location on Burmax Park in Dowagiac. Means broke into a camper on the property to have a place to sleep and eat.

“If there was a picture in the dictionary next to the definition of career criminal, it would be the defendant’s picture,” Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said.

Fitz noted that Means’ record is a lengthy one that includes 16 felonies and nine misdemeanors. This new sentence is concurrent with the prison sentences Means is currently serving from Feb. 2, 2018 convictions for breaking and entering a coin operated device and possession of burglar tools.

Jamie Lynn Jedlowski, 40, of South Detroit Street in Buchanan, pleaded guilty to false pretenses over $1,000 and writing checks on a closed account and was sentenced to three years probation, $1,976 in fines and costs and $4,152.40 in restitution to Jeremy Clanton. She has credit for 97 days already served.

The incident occurred April 25, 2017 when she wrote a bad check for auto repairs at a Precision Auto on U.S. 12 in Milton Township near Niles.

Jedlowski is currently on probation in the Berrien County Drug Treatment Court and was ordered to continue her participation there.

“You are an addict and have to address what triggers you,” Cass Circuit Judge Mark Herman said. “The real problem with treatment programs is when people get out and think they can use drugs a little socially.”