1 of 2 arrested in Jan. Kentwood murder

KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) - One of two people is behind bars in connection with a murder that occurred in January in Kentwood.

With the assistance of the Fugitive Task Force, Charles Allen Brown Jr. was arrested Tuesday without incident near Greenville, S.C. The 19-year-old was reportedly staying with a relative. Authorities are trying to get him extradited to Michigan.

The Kent County Prosecutor's Office has issued a warrant for multiple felonies, including homicide-felony murder and armed robbery against Brown.

These charges stem from the investigation of the shooting death of Michael Victor Bockheim that occurred in the early evening hours of Jan. 15. Bockheim, 29, was shot while he sat in a van. The person with Bockheim told police at that time he was stopped at a traffic light at Clyde Park Avenue and Burton Street SW in Wyoming when two men, one armed with a handgun, approached him, demanding money and shot Bockheim.

The case took a different turn the next day when the driver told police the shooting happened somewhere in Kentwood. Additionally, it doesn't appear to be random.

Police are also looking for the other suspect in the case -- 21-year-old Vernon Lewis Heath. The Kent County Prosecutor's Office has issued an armed robbery warrant for Heath who is believed to have fled Michigan but is actively being sought by the Fugitive Task Force.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Heath or the case in general is asked to call the Kentwood Police Department at 616.698.6580 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.