GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A post on social media about an alleged assault tipped me off to this story in my neighborhood. So, I did some digging.
Grand Rapids police say around 8:30 a.m. on August 16th, officers responded to a reported home burglary on 8th Street.
They tried to talk to the person who lived there, but were unable to. It wasn't until later that police learned that the person had been hospitalized two hours earlier in critical condition.
A family representative confirmed to me that his name is Todd Johnson. A GoFundMe set up by the family says Johnson was assaulted and robbed and that he suffered a severe brain injury. They did add he's now in rehab.
GRPD didn't share specifics about the assault with FOX 17. The department stated that, following an investigation, four juveniles were taken into custody.
The Kent County Prosecutor, Chris Becker, tells me that one person is charged as a juvenile and clarifies this in a statement, as the social media post in question is demanding the suspect be charged as an adult.
Becker said, "...under Michigan law, we do not have the ability to simply charge juveniles as adults for every crime; we can only do that under certain defined circumstances. As of now, none of those circumstances have been met to be able charge anyone as an adult."
The prosecutor also added that the case remains under investigation. I also talked with one neighbor who lives near where the reported burglary happened. They didn't want to show their face on camera, but told me they saw masked people leaving the house.
That neighbor did express that they're sending Johnson thoughts and prayers, hoping he can recover and get back home.
