Port Huron Police and Roche Bar Staff Murder Local Resident: Questions Arise Over Police and Bar Staff’s Actions

PORT HURON, MI — In a somber turn of events that has gripped the local community, twenty-six-year-old Joshua Conant, lost his life following a physical altercation involving staff members of the Roche Bar and Port Huron Police. The incident, which unfolded on public property outside the establishment, has raised pressing questions about the sequence of events that led to this tragic outcome.

Carl Gibbs, the co-owner of Roche Bar, along with staff members Mark Kern, Jay Sontag, and Don Hodgins, were observed in a widely circulated video engaging in a physical struggle with Conant, ultimately restraining him face down on the ground. The actions of the bar staff and the subsequent police response have become the focal point of intense scrutiny.

Contradictions have emerged between the Port Huron Police Department’s official narrative and video evidence available to the public. Assistant Chief of Police Brian Kerrigan’s press release stated that officers immediately commenced life-saving efforts upon arrival at the scene. However, this account is not corroborated by the video footage, prompting calls for clarity.

Officer Chelsea Koehn, the first to respond, is seen in the video participating in the restraint of Conant and instructing him numerous times to “stop resisting”. It was only after some time that Koehn and the bar staff appeared to recognize Conant’s unresponsiveness, prompting a shift in their approach. Despite this realization, the urgency of the situation seemed to go unrecognized, as evidenced by the continued commands given to an unresponsive Conant.

The footage further reveals a delayed transition to emergency medical care, with CPR being administered ineffectively by Kern before an unidentified officer took over with proper chest compressions. The video concludes with officers attending to Conant, who was later pronounced dead at a local hospital due to the alleged injuries sustained during the ordeal.

No arrests or charges have been made in connection with Conant’s death. The Michigan State Police have taken the lead in the investigation, which has now been turned over to the State’s attorney general’s office. The Roche Bar, a fixture in Port Huron with a history of incidents, including a shooting two years prior, was acquired in 2019 by Steve Amey and Carl Gibbs. Amey, a former police officer and current head of the criminal justice program at Ferris State University, was not present during the incident. Gibbs, a retired Army veteran, was seen in the video involved in the initial confrontation but did not intervene or protect Conant as the situation escalated.

In remembrance of Josh Conant, a candlelight vigil is scheduled for Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 6:30 pm at Cavis Grill in downtown Port Huron.

The community is also urged to attend the upcoming Port Huron City Council meeting on Monday, November 13, 2023, at 7 pm to voice their concerns and seek answers.

A GoFundMe page has been established to support Conant’s family during this difficult time. Further updates on this developing story will be provided as they become available.

GoFundMe – Josh Conant