SAGINAW, MI -- Here are a few headlines from Saginaw County last week that attracted reader interest:
Ex-Carrollton High School coach arraigned on charges of inappropriately touching teen athletes
A former Carrollton High School teacher and football coach has been arraigned on charges that he had improper physical contact with two of his athletes.
David J. Schneider, 58, on Dec. 11 voluntarily appeared before Saginaw County District Judge A.T. Frank for arraignment on two counts of assault and battery. The charge is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Carrollton Township police began investigating allegations against Schneider in the fall, confirmed Chief Christopher Kellett. The matter began with one minor victim and expanded to two, he said.
"The contacts were grossly inappropriate for this kind of coach-player relationship," Kellett said.
Schneider has been coaching throughout the state for more than 30 years and in 2024 took over Carrollton High School's varsity football program. He also worked as an English Language Arts teacher.
School officials placed Schneider on administrative leave while an internal investigation was conducted.
Read more here.
Saginaw teen who testified against friends in man's 2021 homicide pleads to manslaughter
A barrage of gunshots tore through Kochville Township one autumn night in 2021, mortally wounding multitalented Darius T. "Famo" Jackson just hours after he photographed Arthur Hill High School's homecoming dance.
Three years on and after testifying against two of his codefendants, one of the five men accused of firing on Jackson has accepted a plea deal.
Gregory M. Smith III, now 19, on Dec. 12 appeared before Saginaw County Circuit Judge Darnell Jackson -- no relation to the victim -- and pleaded guilty to manslaughter and felony firearm. The agreement states Smith will receive a 10-year sentence on the former charge, plus a consecutive two-year stint on the latter.
Read more here.
Drunken driver crashes into Saginaw police truck
A Saginaw Police Department sergeant avoided injury after a drunken driver crashed into his vehicle.
The sergeant was driving a fully marked department pickup truck east on State Street just before 1 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 13. A 2015 Chevrolet Malibu heading south on Hill Street failed to stop for a blinking red light and crashed into the police truck's rear passenger side.
Michigan State Police troopers responded to the scene. They determined the Malibu was driven by a 50-year-old Saginaw man. Neither he nor the police sergeant were injured in the collision.
Read more here.
Recount shifts win margins -- but not election victories -- in two Saginaw Township races
Two new members of the Saginaw Township Board of Trustees will keep their seats on the community's governing body following a recount, officials said.
Democrat James Wickman, the new treasurer elected in November, and Democrat Amaya Bradley, a new trustee elected in November, remained the leading vote recipients in their respective races following the recount, Saginaw County clerk records showed.
Both Democrats defeated Republican incumbents.
The recount, however, did shift the margin of victory in both races.
Read more here.
Bridgeport clerk steps down weeks after election win
Less than two months after winning reelection, Bridgeport Township's clerk stepped down, officials said.
Now in his second stint on the township's governing board, Lee Carpenter announced his resignation as clerk, effective Dec. 31, he said.
"After 21 years, it was time for me to resign," Carpenter said. "I'm 72, but I promised the people I would stay long enough to get through the November election."
Read more here.
Saginaw man accused of torturing woman, keeping her body in hotel for days to get psych eval
A Saginaw man accused of torturing a woman, then keeping her body for days in a local hotel is to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before the case against him can proceed. Meanwhile, prosecutors are preparing to charge him with murder in the woman's mysterious death.
Daniel J. Varnes, 46, on Monday, Dec. 16, appeared before Saginaw County District Judge Elian E.H. Fichtner for a preliminary examination, the third time such a hearing was scheduled. Varnes since Sept. 4 has been charged with torture, assault with intent to murder, and concealing the death of an individual in connection with the Sept. 1 discovery of Teressa M. Johnson's body inside their room at Rodeway Inn & Suites, 4930 St. Mary's Lane in Saginaw Township.
The hearing was adjourned when defense attorney David C. Roby motioned for his client to be sent to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ypsilanti. Fichtner granted the request, but stated she was displeased by its lateness. Witnesses under subpoena were ready to testify and Fichtner said she would allow no further delays.