GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A woman was placed on probation for failing to notify authorities about the deaths of two men, whose bodies were found in a Southwest Side home.
The men, both in their 60s, overdosed on fentanyl and cocaine, autopsies determined.
Their bodies were discovered Dec. 8 in a home on Dickinson Street SW east of Steele Avenue.
Arielle L. St. Pierre, 31, was sentenced for failing to report the discovery of a dead body. The misdemeanor offense is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
A Kent County judge this week placed her on probation for two years.
In August, her co-defendant, 46-year-old Howard Deshun McClain, was sentenced to prison on a more serious charge of concealing the death of an individual. McClain got 2½ to 10 years. He received concurrent sentences on other charges, including possession of methamphetamine.
Kent County last year recorded 109 overdose deaths, with fentanyl playing a role in more than half.
The deaths on Dickinson Street SW were discovered after one of the two men failed to report to work, Grand Rapids Police Sgt. John Wittkowski said.
“One of the tenants discovered both individuals deceased in the apartment,’’ he said. “Other individuals had knowledge of what had occurred. Certainly, they’re not responsible for their deaths, but what they are responsible for is not reporting a death.’’
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