Peer Found Guilty in Fatal Florida Crash
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View daily updates of news and sports online at www.hometownlife.com How To < ^ entertainment, great our online voter guide ms and game rooms Guide t www.hometownlife.com Inside today's Observer gjfft * Youri&@i^towiTfw$^er^ October 26,2006 serving Westland for 42 years 75 cents WINNERS OF OVER 100 STATE AND NATIONAL AWARDS SINCE 2001 www.hometownlife.com Peer found guilty in fatal Florida crash BY DARRELL CLEM authorities, police said. BY SUE MASON STAFF WRITER Peer is scheduled for a \ STAFF WRITER sentencing hearing on Westland teen and Nov. 8. He could face An electric car built by a group of Livonia Franklin High penalties ranging up to 15 students at the William D. Ford graduate Jeremy Peer was years in prison for his con Career Technical Center walked away convicted Wednesday viction on charges of leav with two of six Innovative Vehicle afternoon of driving off a ing the scene of an acci Design awards given at the Florida road, killing a 33- dent with a death and Convergence 2006 conference in I year-old injury. Detroit last week. j woman, One witness testified The students won the Vehicle injuring her during the trial that Peer Performance Award for their i husband had consumed several Thunderbolt II electric car and the and leaving shots of alcohol on the Ambassadorship Award for a compe I the scene. evening of the accident, tition they developed for students at Peer, 18, according to David Angier, Wayne-Westland's four middle I was convict reporter for the News schools to design carbon dioxide cars ed by a Bay Herald in Panama City. using a Rhino CAD 3D computer pro Jeremy Peer County However, Peer testified gram. Circuit in his own defense and Court jury that returned "We're very proud of the students," denied that he had been its verdict at the end of a drinking, Angier said. said Sue Wilk who served as the IVD two-day trial, said Joe project coordinator. "We came home Grammer, Florida assis Peer's attorney, Ben with two huge trophies." tant state attorney. Bollinger, stipulated in The Career Technical Center was court that Peer drove the. one of four schools participating in Peer's trial came six Jeep Commander, but he the 2006 competition which pairs months after authorities had said the state would students and a corporate partner to said he drove a Jeep have to prove that Peer help them plan and develop an IVD Commander off a Panama knew he hit someone, car. City Beach road, killing according to published , The project is sponsored by the Colleen Martin and injur reports in the News Convergence Education Foundation ing her husband, Monty, Herald. which provides $5,000 to each team. as they walked alongside Witness Steveii Wolf The corporate partner kicks in anoth Front Beach Road. told the jury that he was er $5,000. Ninety percent of the The accident happened driving behind Peer's vehi money must be spent on the electric around 10 p.m. April 17 cle when it swerved off the car, while 10 percent is set aside to during Florida's bustling road and hit the Martins, develop and implement an outreach spring break season, according to the News program for middle school students. police have said. Peer was Herald. Colleen Martin The Career Technical Center's part arrested a couple hours was thrown onto the hood ner was Continental Automotive later, after an alert hotel and was "hugging" the Showing off the Thunderbolt II IVD car are team members Tim Down {from left), Shawn Seymore, Marissa employee saw the dam Williams, Kory Frost and Mike Kronback. aged vehicle and notified PLEASE SEE PEER, A7 PLEASE SEE AWARDS, A3 threatens man, 70r with Man pleads no contest in during break-in at home local child abuse case been placed in her care. BY DARRELL CLEM economic slump has contributed to "We are fortunate in Westland BY DARRELL CLEM The boys remain in foster homes, "•*'.. STAFF WRITER such incidents. that we don't usually have as many STAFF WRITER Weingarden said. "I think the economy has defi (cases like home invasions) as some Grant will face a formal sentencing A; 70~year-old We$tland man was nitely created some hard times for communities," he said. "We have a A Westland man will likely face eight Nov. 21 by Wayne County Circuit Judge robbed at gunpoint Tuesday after people," Westland 18th District proactive police department. months in jail after pleading no contest Diane Hathaway, following a plea noon by an intruder who entered Judge C. Charles Bokos said. "We They're out in the streets to charges he tied up three boys, blind agreement reached by attorneys. his unlocked home on Deerhurst, always see an increase in crimes patrolling." folded them and burned them with a Grant also will remain on probation police said. like home invasions, larcenies and Still, Bokos said, "we all need to heated screwdriver and a hot glue gun, after his eight months in jail, and The intruder took money from things of that-nature when the be vigilant." authorities confirmed Tuesday. Hathaway will decide for how long. the victim and fled without firing economy gets worse." Authorities are asking anyone Vincent Garrison Grant, 38, also will Grant also will likely face a lengthy list any shots at Deerhurst Bokos also questioned whether with information about the likely be placed on a work-release pro of court orders, such as attending par Condominiums, west of Central Detroit's casinos may have con Deerhurst home invasion to call the gram allowing him to leave jail for sev enting classes, Weingarden said. City Parkway between Warren and tributed to economic problems for Westland Police Department at eral hours a day, authorities said. He could have faced penalties ranging Ford, police Sgt. Steve Borisch said. some people. (734) 722-9600. Those who prefer Grant is expected to face a formal up to four years in prison. Grant was The robbery happened around Moreover, the judge has noticed to make an anonymous tip for a sentencing in November, but Assistant arrested on charges stemming from a 1:30 p.m. in broad daylight in a that as the holiday season draws possible cash reward are urged to Wayne County Prosecutor Lora child abuse case that, according to densely populated neighborhood in closer, some people tend to become call Crime Stoppers at (800) Weingarden confirmed Tuesday that he police Sgt. Steve Borisch, was "border central Westland. The condomini depressed and turn to drugs and SPEAK-UP. will likely receive jail time and work line torture." ums are located just north of the alcohol — particularly those who The latest home invasion victim release after pleading no contest to Grant had been ordered to stand trial Westland public library. are jobless. That, he said, can lead described the suspect as a black three counts of second-degree child after he appeared before Westland The incident was one of several to crime. male, about 35 years old and about. abuse. District Judge C. Charles Bokos on Aug. recent home invasions — some of Theories aside, Bokos commend 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, Borisch Barring any glitches, Grant's plea 17 and waived his right to a preliminary them involving residents who did ed Westland police for their swift said. agreement will avert a trial on charges hearing — a move that averted testimo- n't have their doors locked. response to violent crimes and for he abused his wife's 9-year-old son and Some observers believe that an the way they handle them, [email protected] I (734) 953-2110 two nephews, ages 11 and 12, who had PLEASE SEE PLEADS, A7 © The Observer & Eccentric INDEX Coming Sunday For Home Newspapers APARTMENTS B9 Delivery call: BELIEFS & VALUES A18 in Health Volume 42 AUTOMOTIVE C5 (866)887-2737 Number 44 CLASSIFIED B8-C8 Health experts CROSSWORD B8 answer the JOBS C2 question, HOB MOVIES E14 OBITUARIES A18 young is too #*» _ OPINION . A10-11 young to go REAL ESTATE" B8 trick or SERVICE GUIDE B12 treating? GAbNETT SPORTS B1 A2 <w) Observer S Eccentric 1 Thursday, October 26,2006 LOCAL HEWS wwiv.hometown1ifie.com4 * »*r • *-a J/ ^\' Vi £ i. r*l Scaring up a good cause * ^HHB Volunteers create haunted house to help Detroit's homeless BY DIANE GALE ANDREASSI delightful fun and the best Haunted House at the Cass "There were nights we would • # mJ CORRESPONDENT part, they say, is that they're Community United Methodist hit five," Warner said. "We like helping people less fortunate. Church. Annually, between the creativity of it. We've For Jay Warner and Robert Miner and Warner worked $6,000 and $8,000 is raised at always wanted to run a haunt Miner volunteering to create a on designing and building the the haunted house and the ed house and a lot of it was to haunted house is frightfully Detroit's Urban Legends money goes to the myriad of get ideas even though we never CCUMC outreach programs. thought we would end up Miner, a Garden City resi doing it. But, now we are. So dent, said he would rather Vol far we've gotten a lot of com unteer his time to help others pliments from return cus while he's laid off from Ford tomers saying it was a lot Motor Co. rather than sit longer than the year before." WHERE HOMETOWN STORIES UNFOLD around and do nothing. The haunted house takes six A creepy creature in a casket awaits those brave enough to venture into the HOMETOWNLIFE.COM And Warner, a Westland res weeks and more than 300 Cass Community Social Service's fourth annual Detroit's Urban Legends ident who had a heart trans hours of volunteer work from Haunted House.