GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Police have rounded up five suspects after a multi-state crime investigation into construction thefts that began in Kent County.
The suspects are now in the Kent County Correctional Facility after being charged.
Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young said the group of suspects has been linked to more than 50 thefts in Michigan, as well as Indiana and Ohio.
“(The) incidents started in late 2017. We have been developing these suspects for some time and the investigation included Kent, Oakland County (Sheriff’s Office), Detroit PD and MSP (Michigan State Police).
“Without this cooperation, we would not have been able to substantiate the significance of this crime ring. I’m very proud of how hard these investigators worked to stop people from being victimized and bring these suspects to justice,” she said.
The first ripoff happened in the Caledonia area last June. Investigators say that led to about a dozen additional thefts in Kent and Ottawa counties, before the theft ring expanded out-of-state.
The five suspects are from the Detroit/Pontiac area:
- Hillie L. Childers, 51
- Tina M. Donovan, 44
- William D.L. Larue, 23
- Justine A. McMahon, 22
- Jason L. Newsome, 28
