By CHRIS JACKETT
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – Two businesses on 13th Street had problems with a man looking to take scrap metal about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 7.
A white 2000 Chevrolet cargo van approached both Mercury Manufacturing, 3855 13th, and Wyandotte Industries, 4625 13th, on the recent Saturday afternoon.
A shift supervisor at Mercury Manufacturing reported a man had been coming around the business for about two months looking for scrap metal. The man has been told about a company that has been contracted to pick up the scrap metal from the business.
About 2:45 p.m. Aug. 7, the man was walking around within the business and was looking through scrap metal behind one building. The supervisor said he appeared to be sizing up a piece of scrap metal from a crane to see if it would fit into the van.
The supervisor reported the incident because he was concerned that the man was responsible for items that had gone missing since he first began coming by. He also is concerned about the man walking into the business because it is open 24 hours and the supervisor is concerned for the female employees who work the night shifts.
The suspect was described as a white man in his mid-40s, brown, medium-length hair, a mustache and prescription glasses. On Aug. 7, the man was shirtless and wearing sweatpants. He has numerous tattoos.
Half a mile away at Wyandotte Industries, items were discovered missing about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Surveillance video and associated still photos showed a white man in his mid-40s to early 50s, shirtless with blue jeans and numerous tattoos on his back, arms and chest had pulled up his white van along the north side of the building about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 7, shortly before the incident half a mile away at Mercury Manufacturing.
The van’s owner showed numerous entries in the police database for narcotics, burglary, robbery and assault. It also listed tattoo locations consistent with those of the suspect in the pictures and video.