PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - A Grand Rapids man who claimed to be a "hitman" during a violent home invasion on Friday was arraigned on multiple felony charges after police say he left the homeowner beaten and bound.
Frank Youmans, 54, appeared in court on Monday afternoon and was charged with armed robbery, first-degree home invasion, unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation and two counts of felony firearm stemming from the March 24 incident.
He faces life behind bars if convicted.
According to the Kent County Sheriff's Office, Youmans forced his way into the home of a 65-year-oldwoman on Van Dam Drive and Packer Drive in Plainfield Township during the early morning hours.
Deputies say Youmans -- armed with a pistol -- claimed to be a hit man and threatened to kill the woman in her home. He allegedly strangled her during the incident until she went unconscious and stole her credit cards, which officials allege he later used at a nearby store.
The woman was found tied up two to three hours after the break-in from an acquaintance who arrived at the home around 10 a.m, authorities added.
“What a blessing that somebody was coming to the home because if nobody was coming to the home, she would’ve had no recourse to get loose at that point,” Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young told News 8 on Monday.
The sheriff added that home burglaries do not tend to happen when people are present, which tipped investigators off that Friday's incident was a targeted attack.
“It’s a very non-typical thing that somebody would break into a home with somebody’s present," LaJoye-Young said. "They generally will try to do it when the house is empty if they’re trying to gain belongings. So this is a very personal crime when somebody does this and we’re pursuing it as such.”
According to the sheriff, the suspect apparently knew the family of the homeowner, but declined to elaborate due to the ongoing investigation.
Authorities were able to quickly identify the suspect as Youmans and got a description of his vehicle, issuing a statewide bulletin to other law enforcement agencies in an attempt to track him down.
“We communicate because that’s how we all serve our communities the best,” LaJoye-Young said. “We can’t all go outside of our boundaries to look at every detail, but when we engage the help of others, force multiplies.”
His vehicle was discovered abandoned by the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office on a two-track, and while authorities are unsure how it ended up there, LaJoye-Young said deputies believed Youmans was still in or around Kent County.
On Sunday, two days after the alleged attack, deputies spotted Youmans walking near the intersection of Knapp Street and Pettis Avenue east of Grand Rapids and took him into custody without incident.
LaJoye-Young said the victim is expected to be OK, but is dealing with trauma related to the violent home invasion.
“I can only imagine how terrifying this would be and how vulnerable she must have felt in this circumstance,” LaJoye-Young stated. “We’re very happy that we had some very dedicated detectives that worked hard to put this suspect in custody, to comfort her to know that she’s safe, and comfort her neighbors to make sure that they know this wasn’t just a random attack in this neighborhood.”
Kent County court records show Youmans is not unknown to law enforcement. He was previously convicted and sentenced in 1998 for Home Invasion-First Degree and two counts of Felonious Assault. In addition, records from Michigan State Police further details the 54-year-old's criminal history, with other previous convictions for fleeing police, attempted fraud, receiving and concealing stolen property, armed robbery and drug possession.
During his March 27th arraignment, Youmans was given a $1 million cash bond. He is due back in court on April 5.