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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bonedigger, post: 328055, member: 4367&quot;]As if you didn&#039;t already know, there are some dangerous people out there and they will lurk where you post with friends.&nbsp; Be careful in what you say, it may prove to be fatal...</p><p><br /></p><p>Ben</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/01/search_continues_for_more_home.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/01/search_continues_for_more_home.html" rel="nofollow">http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/01/search_continues_for_more_home.html</a></p><p>//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////</p><p>Search continues for more home invasion suspects</p><p>Posted by By Terry Judd | The Muskegon Chronicle January 29, 2008 22:45PM</p><p>Categories: Spring Lake</p><p>Ottawa County Sheriff&#039;s Department investigators were continuing their search for at least one other person involved in last Saturday&#039;s botched robbery of a Spring Lake Township gold and coin broker.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authorities are trying to determine whether there is a link between the victim and Lafayette, Ind., the address of a captured suspect.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sheriff&#039;s Department Lt. Mark Bennett said his office has been in contact with Indiana law enforcement agencies to see whether Jeremy Lee Wilkinson, 29, of Lafayette had a prior business dealing or contact with the victim, ******* ****** ********* Palmatter operates Bob&#039;s Coins, which buys and sells gold and silver coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilkinson is one of at least two individuals who invaded Palmatter&#039;s home Saturday night and forced the homeowner to give combinations and open two safes inside the residence. Wilkinson unsuccessfully tried to run from responding officers and was caught after spending about four hours barefoot on Lake Michigan ice. He suffered severe frostbite and hypothermia and was briefly hospitalized.</p><p><br /></p><p>He was arraigned Monday on five felonies: armed robbery carrying a potential life sentence; first degree home invasion, a 20-year felony; unlawful imprisonment, a 15-year felony; resisting, obstructing and running away from a police officer, a two-year felony; and possessing a firearm during a felony, a two-year felony. Bond was set at $100,000 cash or surety.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilkinson had a prior 1997 cocaine possession conviction in Indiana, officials said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bennett said evidence indicates the suspects knew of Palmatter&#039;s business and specifically targeted his house. He said detectives are poring over Palmatter&#039;s business records to see whether there is a link to Wilkinson or Lafayette, Ind. They also have search warrants on phone records.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;For a prudent person, they (the suspects) obviously knew something about the victim before they did it,&quot; Bennett said. &quot;It does not appear to be a totally random event.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>A big question facing investigators is how Wilkinson and at least one other person knew about Palmatter&#039;s business and where he lived. Others involved with the investigation said Palmatter was careful to disassociate his home address from his business.</p><p><br /></p><p>But on the night of the failed robbery, the suspects waited for Palmatter to return home and one specifically asked him &quot;Are you Bob?&quot; when he was confronted after leaving his car.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bennett said Wilkinson has not cooperated with investigators. Wilkinson&#039;s identity was confirmed only after the department conducted a nationwide finger print search.</p><p><br /></p><p>Officials believe the second suspect has fled the area, but do not have any possible names or addresses. There also is a possibility others also were involved.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Mr. Wilkinson has not been particularly cooperative at this point,&quot; he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Saturday&#039;s unusual attempted robbery began at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, when Palmatter and his wife, Leda, returned from a gold and coin buying trip. As he exited his car in the garage and approached the back door, he was approached by a man who asked him whether he was Bob, was forced to open the door and was sprayed his face with pepper spray. The intruder apparently was unaware Palmatter&#039;s wife was in the car.</p><p><br /></p><p>Once inside the home, Palmatter&#039;s hands were bound with electric wire bundling strips. A second person entered the home and the two led Palmatter to a room containing two safes. He was ordered to give up the combinations and the two successfully opened one safe but found only business papers.</p><p><br /></p><p>They then unsuccessfully attempted to open another safe. Eventually, they freed Palmatter&#039;s hands and had him open the safe, which contained coins. As they rummaged through the safe, the home owner snuck into another room, where he tried to call for help but the phones were dead.</p><p><br /></p><p>He quickly was discovered by the two intruders and sprayed again with pepper spray and knocked to the ground. Palmatter was then stepped on and kicked in the head, breaking one of his teeth.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the meantime, Palmatter&#039;s&#039; wife called 9-1-1 on a cell phone and escaped out the garage. She was met in the driveway by responding Spring Lake/Ferrysburg Police officers. Wilkinson unsuccessfully tried to drive off in Palmatter&#039;s car but was stopped by sheriff&#039;s deputies. He then fled from the vehicle up the Palmatter driveway. As deputies pursued, Wilkinson allegedly fired a small caliber handgun and ran to ice on Lake Michigan, according to police.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilkinson hid out on the ice for almost four hours before he was found by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. He surrendered after discarding the weapon into Lake Michigan. He was treated for severe frostbite to his feet and hypothermia. Officials said the suspect&#039;s kidneys were partially shut down because of hypothermia and that he would have lost his toes had he remained out on the ice any longer.</p><p><br /></p><p>Officials do not know why the man was barefoot, but suspect he might have lost his boots while running from deputies.</p><p>////////////////////////////////////</p><p><br /></p><p>One harrowing experience...[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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