GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Five more people, including a 15-year-old, face charges in connection to the rioting in downtown Grand Rapids Saturday night into Sunday morning.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said Wednesday the following three suspects face charges in connection to fire and destruction of five Wyoming police cruisers:
- John Dupree, 23, of Kentwood, charged with one count of riot and two counts of malicious destruction of fire or police property.
- Matthew Hurth, 26, of Grand Rapids, charged with one count of riot and one count of malicious destruction of fire or police property.
- Ronald Raymond, 38, of Grand Rapids, charged with one count of riot, one count of malicious destruction of fire or police property and one count of third-degree arson.
Dupree and Raymond were arraigned Wednesday. If they are found guilty, they will be held responsible for restitution for the police vehicles, which cost about $50,000 each.
Dupree’s bond was set at $25,000. His record lists a marijuana charge from July 2016.
“Yeah, he was upset about the murder,” his mother Betty Dupree told News 8 Wednesday, adding that her son is a good guy not prone to trouble. “I was surprised, I didn’t even know that he was on the car, cop car anything like that. But I’m quite sure it was crowd getting excited, somebody probably told him to do it. I don’t know.”
Raymond’s address is listed as Mel Trotter Ministries, a downtown homeless shelter, and he said he is unemployed. He has a minor criminal record including misdemeanor assault.
>>TIMELINE: Rioters damage Grand Rapids buildings, set fires
Olivia Hull, 23, of Cedar Springs, faces charges in connection to the vandalism at Sundance Grill and Bar located at corner of Ottawa Avenue and Pearl Street. The charges include one count of riot, one count of breaking and entering of building with intent and malicious destruction of a building less than $200.
Hull’s name has been circulating on social media for days because of images from the riot and a post she wrote in which she defended herself.
“I can’t say that window was busted before I got there. I’m small, I can’t bust that window on my own,” Hull said in the video. “You might not agree with how things went yesterday, but I can say we started off peacefully and GRPD got aggressive first, Wyoming PD got aggressive first and that’s that.”
A 15-year-old juvenile was charged with one count of riot. The case will be handled in the juvenile criminal justice system. Prosecutors can’t release any additional information on the case.
Earlier this week, two other people were formally charged in connection to the rioting. Alexandria Lyons, 22, of Grandville, was charged on Tuesday with one count of inciting a riot and one count of malicious destruction of property. She’s accused of encouraging the destruction of windows at 82 Ionia Avenue, which houses the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Monday, 18-year-old Adrian Baker was arraigned on riot and larceny charges. Authorities say Baker broke into the Biggby Coffee shop on Monroe Center across from Rosa Parks Circle and stole the “We’re Open” sign.
If you have information you want to share with investigators, you can still call GRPD’s Detective Unit at 616.456.3380 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The FBI is still taking tips and images online about riots around the country.
