Mount Pleasant area deals with time of crime, troubles

Some Mount Pleasant residents are shocked by the amount of crime the area has experienced in the past two weeks.

The community has seen two murders, two pedestrians killed after being hit by cars, a jail suicide, a student charged with unlawful imprisonment, four kids struck by lightning in neighboring Montcalm County  and a police standoff in downtown Shepherd.

All this has occurred within less than two weeks.

“I think part of the issue is that we’re not used to these types of tragedies,” said Jeff Browne, Mount Pleasant Police public information officer, referring to the two homicides. “Since we’re not used to it, it’s shocking.”

On July 10, 25-year-old Iva Joy Fuller’s body was found in a field off W. Remus Road near Nottawa Road in Deerfield Township on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation.

Her brother, Daniel Lawrence Fuller, is awaiting federal indictment for her murder.

It was the same weekend Ronald Ian Bryant II, 42 of Mount Pleasant and Makayla Currier, 14 of Crystal, died after being hit by cars.

Ronald William Ross, 44, of Spring Lake, was also found dead in the Clare County Jail from an apparent suicide the same weekend.

The following Tuesday, Justin Joel Luckhardt, 32, of Shepherd shot and killed Kim Lerene Luchie, 25, at The Cabin bar. Luckhardt then killed himself shortly afterwards.

The Cabin incident was the forth homicide in Mount Pleasant in the past 15 years, said Anthony Gomez-Mesquita, Mount Pleasant director of Public Safety.

Mount Pleasant Mayor Jim Holton said he has been in Mount Pleasant since 1989 and cannot remember a time when such violent crimes have come in such quick succession.

“Everyone in the community is stunned,” Holton said. “If we could prevent it we would.”

Holton said the crimes have brought a realization that anything could happen in any small town.

He said the economy may have an affect on crime in some parts of the state, but in Mount Pleasant there is no excuse.

“It’s just unfortunate it had to happen here,” Holton said. “We have to move forward as a community together.”

Browne said there is no reason for people to be afraid to live in Mount Pleasant.

Overall reported crime statistics within the city do not suggest an increase in crime from previous years.

The last murder within city limits was in 2007 and before that 2004.

Browne said murders in the area usually occur once every two to three years.

In 2009, the city had 52 reported aggravated assault cases. This year there have been 17.

Mount Pleasant has seen 19 reported cases of sexual assault so far this year, up one from 18 in 2009. This is still lower than the 28, 36 and 35 reported in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively.

“I still think we have a great community with great public safety,” Holton said.