Trafficking victim found in motel • Man killed in road rage shooting • Victim can testify at Crumbley's trial
FRIDAY NEWS HIT - A woman who disappeared in 2017 is home safe after calling her family this week to tell them she was being held against her will in an Inkster motel.
Police believe it was a case of human trafficking.
The woman called a family member Monday and told them she was at the Evergreen Motel on Michigan Avenue. When Michigan State Police arrived, they said they heard screaming and crying from a room. Once they made their way inside, they found the woman.
"These traffickers are very good at what they do," said MSP F/Lt. Mike Shaw.
An investigation is ongoing to confirm whether it was human trafficking.
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If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, you can always contact The National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to BEFREE (233733).
To report any suspected human trafficking to Michigan State Police, call 888-373-7888.
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Suspected human trafficking victim rescued from Inkster motel after calling family 7 years after disappearing
A suspected victim of human trafficking was found safe at the Evergreen Motel in Inkster seven years after she was reported missing.
Shooting victim can testify at James Crumbley's trial
One of the two Oxford High School shooting victims prosecutors want to testify at James Crumbley's trial will be allowed to take the stand.
During a hearing last week, the prosecution asked to allow the original owner of the gun used in the shooting to testify, along with two student victims of the Nov. 30, 2021 school shooting. Judge Cheryl Matthews ruled that day that the former gun owner could testify, but she took longer to decide on the students.
Matthews said that only one of the victims could testify. Prosecutors will be able to decide which student testifies.
Crumbley's involuntary manslaughter trial begins with jury selection Tuesday. His trial follows his wife Jennifer Crumbley's conviction earlier this month.
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James Crumbley trial: 1 Oxford High School shooting victim can testify
One Oxford High School shooting victim will be allowed to testify at James Crumbley's trial, Judge Cheryl Matthews ruled.
Ex-boyfriend charged in Canton hotel murder
The ex-boyfriend of a 19-year-old woman who was killed at a Canton hotel earlier this month is facing charges.
Joseph Michael Slocum Jr. is accused of shooting 19-year-old Veronica Crain at the Comfort Suites on Haggerty on Feb. 16, after she broke up with him.
Veronica was working behind the desk when she was killed.
"That was the (most cowardly) sh** he could do! That’s not love," said Kimberly Crain, Veronica's mother.
Slocum was found and arrested less than 30 minutes later after he crashed on I-275.
He is charged with first-degree murder and felony firearm.
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Ex-boyfriend charged in fatal shooting of 19-year-old in Canton: 'That’s not love'
Veronica Crain, 19, tried to get away from the relationship several times over the last few years, according to family and friends. The two finally broke up about a month before the shooting.
Pizza Cat Max closing
The Detroit Pizza Cat Max location will close after this weekend, the restaurant chain announced Friday.
Sunday will be the last day to get pizza from the Detroit location before it closes for good at midnight. The restaurant did not cite a reason for the closure.
Pizza Cat Max was the only Michigan location that had a dining in option; there are carryout-only Pizza Cat restaurants in Oak Park, Westland, and Madison Heights. Those restaurants will remain open.
The restaurant opened near Greektown in the summer of 2022.
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Pizza Cat Max closing Detroit restaurant
The Detroit Pizza Cat Max location will close after this weekend, the restaurant chain announced Friday. The pizza restaurant near Greektown took over the former Ready Player One spot in 2022.
Man killed in Detroit road rage shooting
A road rage shooting Thursday left a man dead on Detroit's east side.
Police said the victim, who was in his 40s, was driving in the area of E. Davison Street and Conant when tailgating turned aggressive around 5 p.m. The suspect was arrested.
"Two families will be grieving over this senseless incident," said Detroit Police Captain Derrick Griffin. "Another unfortunate incident where someone has lost their life in the city."
Thursday was the third straight day of road rage shootings in Metro Detroit. On Wednesday, a woman with her three children in the vehicle was shot in Detroit, and on Tuesday a woman and her daughter were shot during a dispute in Sterling Heights.
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Man killed in road rage-fueled shooting in Detroit
A man in his 40s was shot and killed on Detroit's east side on Thursday in an apparent road rage incident.
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What else we're watching
- A racial profiling and harassment lawsuit was filed by former Black employees of Lake Orion trucking company Environmental Wood Solutions. The suit claims rampant racial harassment, lower pay based on race, and in some cases, sabotaging of trucks.
- A barricaded gunman is in custody after an hours-long standoff in River Rouge.
- More than $87 million will be distributed to hundreds of Michigan cities, villages, townships, and counties based on the number of licensed marijuana retail stores and microbusiness that operate within their borders
- A winner still hasn't come forward to claim their $1 million Mega Millions prize, and they've only got a few weeks to do so. The ticket was sold in Southfield last year.
- It's the weekend, and there's lots happening - find things to do here.
Biden, Trump visit southern border cities, highlighting immigration as key election issue
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both visited southern border cities on Thursday in a sign of how central immigration has become to the 2024 election.
Biden visited Brownsville, Texas, and Trump made his way to Eagle Pass, Texas, which is about 325 miles, or about a five-hour, 20-minute drive, apart.
Both cities are longtime Democratic strongholds, but Republicans are gaining, especially in the Eagle Pass area. Trump narrowed his margin of defeat more in Maverick County, home to Eagle Pass, than in Cameron County, where Brownsville is located.
The president walked a quiet stretch of the border along the Rio Grande, and received a lengthy operations briefing from Homeland Security agents who talked to him bluntly about what more they needed.