Zeeland armed robbery suspect arraigned

Thu, Jun 18, 2009    to del.icio.us

ZEELAND — A 40-year-old man arraigned Wednesday on charges he robbed a Zeeland Township man at gun point has a criminal history of break-ins, state records show.

Police said John Anthony Falvo held a gun to the back of Jack Wyrick's head, demanding money and valuables, on June 10 at Wyrick's home on 96th Avenue.

Police said Falvo, whose last known address was in Zeeland, locked Wyrick in a pool house behind the residence before he fled in Wyrick's 1990 Pontiac van. Falvo had loaded the van with electronics and other stolen goods, police said.

Police said Falvo led them on a car chase in Grand Rapids around 4 a.m. June 11 while driving another stolen car, eventually crashing it in downtown Grand Rapids where he was arrested.

Falvo was arraigned on charges of armed robbery, first-degree home invasion, unlawful imprisonment, unlawful driving, using a firearm to commit a felony and fourth-notice habitual offender. On Wednesday, Judge Kenneth Post set Falvo's bond at $500,000 in Ottawa County District Court in Hudsonville.

State records show a string of charges for Falvo in the 1990s, including home invasion and larceny. He also pleaded guilty to disarming a firearm from a police officer in 1995. He was placed on parole in January.

Two other suspects were taken into custody following the crash in Grand Rapids, but police have not revealed whether others will be charged in connection with the June 10 home invasion.

— From The Holland Sentinel