GEORGETOWN TWP. (WHTC-AM/FM, Apr. 17, 2026) – It was an eventful Friday in Georgetown Township.
Around dawn, Ottawa County Central Dispatch received several reports of a bear sighting in the area of Baldwin Street and 42nd Avenue. Residents in two separate subdivision said that they saw the animal roaming, and digital evidence obtained by sheriff’s deputies confirmed those sightings, from between 6:30 AM to 7:10 AM.
Initial efforts to find the bear proved fruitless, and state Department of Natural Resources officers were notified of the situation. Hudsonville Public School officials were also briefed on the matter, and students from several school buildings in the area were kept inside as a precaution, although normal operations continued. As the day progressed, no other sightings of this animal were disclosed, and there were no reports of any attacks or injuries.
Meanwhile, a box truck lost control on westbound Bauer Road near 40th Avenue shortly after 1 PM, veered to the right, ran over a fire hydrant, and came to rest in a creek that ran parallel to the roadway. The crash caused diesel fuel to leak into the creek.
While the driver, a 40-year-old Wyoming man, and his passenger, a 31-year-old Grand Rapids man, were not hurt, members of the Ottawa County Emergency Management Team and the county’s Water Resources Department were dispatched to the scene in order to address the fuel spill into the creek.
Both incidents remain under investigation.
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