I seen this Happen was the first there and let it be known that all 3 people in the van were drinking (Drunk) 1 went to the hospital and the other 2 were let go to walk down dort hwy… Only in Flint
David Davenport at the Genesee County Clerks office filing Petitions to recall Flint Mayor Dayne Walling
FLINT, Michigan — Organizers turned in 14,341 signatures — well above the 8,004 needed — this afternoon in the attempt to recall Flint Mayor Dayne Walling.
The recall is tied to the layoff of police officers and firefighters.
The Genesee County Clerk’s office will verify the signatures. If it goes through, it will be on the November ballot, according to the office.
Davenport called it a victory for Flint’s citizens.
“I firmly believe the residents of Flint are fed up with the crime,” he said.
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Thirteen men who authorities claimed belonged to a gang called the Dayton Mafia face federal drug and gun charges.
Raids on multiple homes in Flint and the Mt. Morris area last month resulted in the seizure of 14 guns, 324 marijuana plants, 704 grams of heroin, 314 grams of crack and 3,400 grams of powder cocaine, according the Genesee County Safe Streets Task Force, a joint effort between the sheriff’s department, Flint police, state police and the FBI.
“These are the cases that make the major impact on violent crime in Flint,” said Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell.
Seven of the men — Lamonte Watson Jr., 34; Isaac D. Meeks, 42; Shawn Smith, 35; Hansel D. Williams, 49; Terrance Alexander, 40; Vourice Meeks, 28; and Duane Williams, 35 — have been arraigned on the charges, which include conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. All seven have pled not guilty and are being held in the Genesee County Jail.
The other six men named in the indictment have not been arraigned yet.
An attorney for Alexander disputed claims about his client belonging to an organized crime group.
“It may catch a headline in a newspaper but it’s not accurate,” said attorney Matthew Norwood, who represents Terrance Alexander, 40 in the case.
Alexander “flatly refutes” the charges, said Norwood.
“He’s a responsible adult who owns his own business, who takes care of his family,” said Norwood. “He’s not a gangbanger, he’s never been associated with gangbangers.”
Attorneys for the other men who have been arraigned either declined comment or could not be reached.
Pickell said the arrests mark the end of a months-long investigation conducted by the Safe Streets Task Force and FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent John Cecil called the Dayton Mafia one of the more prominent gangs in Flint.
“The Dayton Mafia seems to be a little bit older, more streetwise, more discreet in the way they did this,” said Pickell, calling its alleged members “profiteers.”
A 5-year-old boy has died in an early morning apartment fire in Flint Township.
Police have identified the victim as Kadric Johnson.
Kadric was in the townhouse with other family members. Everyone else was able to escape the fire.
Firefighters were called to Sundridge Apartments just after 1 a.m. today.
When crews arrived, they saw flames coming out of the upstairs window of one of the apartments. The fire quickly spread to other units.
In all, six townhouses were destroyed and eight others were damaged.
Firefighters couldn’t attack the fire as aggressively as they normally would have because of the walls and floors were caving in around them. They were forced to fight the flames from outside of the buildings.
Up to 45 people living in the complex were affected by the fire.
Edward Smith says he’s grateful his neighbors woke him up. “I heard people (yell), ‘Fire. Get out the house now. Get out the house now.’ I hurried up, grabbed my pants, woke up all the children and said, ‘Hey. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,’ and we just ran out.”
“Once we got outside, I looked above our house to the left and that’s when I saw the flames.”
“He was very smart and very fun to be around and very respectable,” said Johnson’s father Tommy Johnson.
Investigators are still trying to fire out what started the fire that killed Johnson.
People that have been coming here have been shaking their heads in disbelief over the fact that Johnson did not make it out alive.
In a time of grief, Tommy Johnson is finding comfort through strangers as word spreads that he lost his son Kadric Johnson in the fast-moving fire.
“The apartment up in flames, and there wasn’t nothing nobody could do to get him out of there,” he said.
It’s been about a month since Johnson has seen his son, and he says he was supposed to pick him up this weekend. But instead of planning father and son time, Johnson has been preparing to say goodbye.
“I’m hurt,” he said. “I’m hurting real bad to know that he was still in that apartment.”
Investigators say when they arrived the townhome was in flames. There were seven people inside of the home when the fire happened.
For now, balloons near the home are the only reminder of the tragedy that took place. And for this father, all he has to hold on too are memories of his youngest son.
“All he liked to do was boxing, play video games, and Spider-Man,” he said. “He was very fun to be around and very intelligent and I’m going to miss him.”
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