Hutchinson Police Services reported the following incidents:
FEB. 27: At 2 p.m., police made a warrant arrest near Main Street and Fifth Avenue Southeast. An officer saw a man who was believed to have a felony warrant riding as the passenger in a northbound vehicle on State Highway 15. A traffic stop was initiated and the man was confirmed to be Jonathan Chase Birch, 37, of Hutchinson, who had a body-only warrant out of McLeod County for storing meth paraphernalia in the presence of a child or vulnerable adult, and fifth degree controlled substance possession. Birch was arrested and taken to McLeod County Jail.
MARCH 1: At 5:27 p.m., police responded to a crash at the intersection of State Highway 15 and South Grade Road. A 1986 Ford F150 driven by Bryce Brandon Berwald, 19, of Hutchinson, and a 2017 Infiniti QX50 driven by Melissa Jean Wittman, 45, of Hutchinson, were stopped facing northbound at a red light. A 2018 Jeep Cherokee driven by Madison Sue Portner, 20, of New Ulm, was northbound on Highway 15 when it rear-ended the Infiniti, which was pushed forward into the rear of the F150. The Jeep and Infiniti had moderate damage, and the driver of the F150 said his vehicle was barely hit. Wittman was injured and taken to Hutchinson Health, and Portner was cited for following too closely.
