Lake Michigan Mailers founders Bob and Karen Rhoa raised their four sons to "have a very high respect for the law and those who protect and enforce it." They were duly rewarded when three of their sons pursued law enforcement careers, with brothers Jeff and Matt, after years of local-level road patrol, advanced their careers at the state and federal levels. Now, the Rhoas have awarded Southwestern Michigan College with $7,000 to establish criminal justice scholarships in memory of their son, Brian.
Rhoa is a Director of the Southwestern Michigan College Foundation, and he has set up the new scholarship awards in the form of ten $500 scholarships to be distributed during the 2016-17 academic year at SMC in Dowagiac. Students must be enrolled in the Associate of Applied Science criminal justice program to qualify.
Two additional scholarships for $1,000 each, have been awarded to students already in the program. Stephanie Rich of Berrien Springs and Joseph Herrera of Holland are those recipients.
The Rhoa's son Brian exhibited a desire to pursue a career in law enforcement at an early age. Following graduation from Lake Michigan Catholic High School, he served as a reserve officer for the St. Joseph city police department.
Years later he relocated to the Kalamazoo area and began working as a reserve police officer for the Kalamazoo Township Police Department, which recognized him for volunteering the most hours in a year.
While attending Ferris State University, Brian continued his efforts in law enforcement by working for Ferris State’s Department of Public Safety during special events. During summer breaks he served in the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department Marine Division, patrolling lakes and waterways. During his patrol duties, Brian sustained a significant eye injury which required multiple operations to regain vision.
Upon graduating from Ferris State with his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Brian received Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certification and was sworn in as a Berrien County Road Patrol Division deputy sheriff.
Although Brian had at last accomplished his goal by becoming a police officer, his concern increased that his degraded vision could become a safety concern to himself, co-workers and the public. Reluctantly, he felt it best to resign and transitioned into the private sector, where he soon became promoted to Best Buy loss prevention supervisor.
Brian had an extreme sense of civic duty and desire to help his fellow man. The vast majority of his years in uniform for various agencies were in an unpaid or volunteer capacity.
Law enforcement is a calling. The job simply provides a title, whereas it is the values and morals he and those like him live out day to day that set them apart, ready to answer that call. As Rhoa puts it, “You’re both determined in your attitude about what you want to do.” Bob continues his role as CEO of Lake Michigan Mailers, which he co-founded in St. Joseph.
Herrera, who has expressed interest in becoming a narcotics officer, tapped his leadership skills last academic year to resurrect SMC’s Boxing Club.
Rich this summer continues working on the Seeking Justice cold case project which contributed to the arrest and pending trial of Raymond Richmond, 56, for the 1977 Edwardsburg murder of cousin Robert Stasiak, 25. She, as a Ferris State student at SMC, joined two other criminal justice students and assisted authorities with building their case by poring through old files, making notes and organizing material.
Donald Ricker, the SMC Criminal Justice Program Director says, “They provided a fresh set of eyes.”
Stephanie admits, “I love getting into cases and learning about the details. I guess I have a knack for it.” Her fascination with criminal profiling started in 2011 while riveted by the six-week Florida trial of Casey Anthony for the murder of 2-year-old daughter Caylee. Many will recall the public outrage that greeted the not-guilty verdict.
Anthony was released that July after serving time for being found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement. Time magazine called the Anthony case the “social media trial of the century.”
Shown in the photo accompanying this story at Moody on the Market.com are SMC student Stephanie Rich of Berrien Springs and Lake Michigan Mailers CEO and co-founder Bob Rhoa.
