News Highlights from the last 7 days

Lorinzo Ervine Jr., 34, of Wayne County, was arrested in a sex sting when he allegedly met with a Lansing undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old girl, police said. In the man’s car were a “large sex toy” as well as brass knuckles and handcuffs, according to police. The Lansing State Journal reported that he was charged with using a computer to commit a crime, accosting a child for immoral purposes, possession of a dangerous weapon and third-degree fleeing and eluding after he tried to escape in his car.

The search for 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith ended when her body was found in an alley on Detroit’s east side. Vigils were held in Detroit and at the Capitol. Rashad Trice, 26, the ex-boyfriend of Cole-Smith’s mother, Symari Cole, allegedly kidnapped the child and took her to Detroit after sexually assaulting and stabbing her mother. He was arrested in St. Clair Shores and has been charged with 18 crimes across three jurisdictions, including federal charges of kidnapping resulting in death and kidnapping a minor victim. He’s being held in Ingham County jail without bond and faces a life sentence or death if convicted of kidnapping resulting in death.

Disgraced sports physician Larry Nassar was stabbed by another inmate at a federal prison in Florida. Nassar was stabbed 10 times Sunday evening, CNN reported — twice in the neck, twice in the back and six times in the chest. He was taken to a local hospital and was in stable condition Monday. No other inmates or staff were injured. An internal investigation into the incident is being conducted. Nassar is serving time at United States Penitentiary Coleman in Florida for state and federal convictions of sexual assault and possessing child pornography. He was originally sent to a prison in Tucson, Arizona, but was attacked after being released into the general population and was transferred to Florida.

Lansing’s mid-year homicide total is the city’s lowest in five years, the Lansing State Journal reported. There had been four fatal shootings and one fatal stabbing this year as of June 30. These include the Feb. 5 shooting death of Makhi Williams, 18; the April 7 shooting death of Camrun Thornton, 23; the May 7 shooting death of Lewis Hill, 48; the June 20 stabbing death of Jeffrey Medina, 41; and the June 25 shooting death of Willie Allen, 58. The April 7 shooting is under review and could be ruled as self-defense, bringing the total to four homicides. In 2021, there were 26 total homicides in Lansing. That number fell to 17 in 2022, the first time since 2018 that the total was lower than the previous year. At the mid-year mark in 2021, there had been 15 homicides, and in 2022, there had been eight, about half the yearly total for those years. However, in 2020, only five of 21 homicides had been recorded in the first half of the year, and in 2018, only two of nine homicides had been recorded in the first half of the year, so the mid-year total is not always a good predictor of the total number of yearly homicides.

Up to 757,832 people may have had personal information, including names and social security numbers, stolen in a Lansing Community College data breach. The school discovered the breach in March, but it had been going on since December 2022. “To date, we have no evidence of any identity theft or fraud in connection with this incident,” the school said in a statement. It’s offering one year of free identity-monitoring services through Kroll, an independent risk and financial advisory company. The breach is being investigated by multiple parties. Federman & Sherwood, a law firm with offices in Texas and Oklahoma, said on its website that it has opened an investigation and welcomes correspondence from people who wish to “participate in this litigation,” though it’s not known if a lawsuit has been filed.

With the Lansing City Council primary less than a month away, Mayor Andy Schor has made his first endorsement: Missy Lilje, one of the eight candidates for two at-large seats. In a fundraising letter on her behalf, Schor called her a “passionate advocate for Lansing Schools.” Lilje, a paraprofessional with the Ingham Intermediate School District and an adjunct professor at Michigan State University, is serving her second term as a Lansing School Board member.

Grewal Hall at 224 postponed its opening date to early August, the Lansing State Journal reported. The more than 6,000-square-foot venue on South Washington Square in downtown Lansing was originally scheduled to open Saturday (July 15) with a concert by the Verve Pipe, but that show was rescheduled to Dec. 9 due to construction delays. Now, the venue will open Aug. 10 with a concert by the Menzingers. Shows originally scheduled before Aug. 10 will be rescheduled, and purchased tickets will be valid for the new dates. The space, which has been under construction for a year and a half, plans to accommodate concerts, weddings, corporate and charity events, trade shows and more. It has a standing capacity of 900 and seating space for 225 in a banquet arrangement or 400 in a theater arrangement.