Allen Park
Formula resale thwarted
An Ecorse woman was arrested after attempting to steal $332 worth of baby formula from Meijer, 3565 Fairlane Drive.
The store’s loss prevention officer told police he saw the woman place 25 cans of baby formula into trash cans in her shopping cart and attempt to leave the store without paying for them.
The woman told police she took the formula because she has no money, and that she resells it at a store in Detroit for $5 a can.
The woman was arrested on charges of third-degree retail fraud and held with a $300 bond.
Dearborn Heights
Cigarettes swiped from gas station
Twenty cartons of cigarettes were missing as the result of a break-in about 6:45 a.m. Dec. 25 at the Firebird gas station, 6425 N. Telegraph.
A broken window was determined to be the point of entry and escape.
Surveillance cameras captured an image of the suspect. He is described as a white male wearing a blue knit cap, a brown Carhartt jacket, gloves and blue jeans.
The video shows him stuffing the cartons into a black trash bag.
Intruders scalded
A copper hot water pipe was cut between 5 p.m. Dec. 21 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 22 in the Cherry Hill Village Apartments, 238 Yorkshire Blvd.
Nothing appeared to missing maintenance, but a worker reported that the suspect or suspects likely was burned due to the temperature of the water, which he said was 190 degrees.
Car stolen
A white 1997 Dodge was stolen from a parking lot in the 400 block of Yorkshire Boulevard between 8 and 11 p.m. Dec. 18.
Lincoln Park
Lawn implements lifted
A weed trimmer valued at $100 and a $150 lawn mower were taken overnight Monday from a garage in the 2400 block of Applewood.
Tracks in the snow were found leading east to the 400 block of Detroit.
Break-in nets electronics, jewelry
Electronics and jewelry were taken between 5 and 10 p.m. last Sunday from a house in the 4100 block of Abbott.
The owner arrived home to find the driveway gate open and said entry was gained through the back door.
Missing items included an MP3 player valued at $200, a $1,000 digital camera, a $200 DVD player and $800 worth of jewelry, including a class ring and 10 diamond rings.
Southgate
Religious decoration removed from front yard
A baby Jesus figure was discovered missing about 4 p.m. Dec. 23 from the front yard of a house in the 13500 block of Karl.
The owner said he had had it for 30 years, and that it was valued at $50.
Plumbing pulled from vacant house
Copper lines were discovered missing just before noon Dec. 24 from a vacant house in the 15400 block of Heatherwood.
The lines, which were removed from the basement ceiling and a water heater, are valued at about $300. No signs of forced entry were found.
Dearborn
GPS unit goes missing
A Global Positioning System unit valued at $300 was stolen Dec. 24 from a 2005 Ford Taurus in the 3000 block of Katherine.
The owner discovered the device missing from beneath the driver’s seat.
Melvindale
Vehicle broken into
A vehicle apparently was broken into Dec. 24 in the 17600 block of Dix.
A man who had parked his vehicle in a motel parking lot about 9 p.m. Dec. 23 and came out about 11:35 p.m. the next day to find the door handle had been pried from the bottom.
The vehicle’s ignition was missing, along with a cell phone.
Taylor
Purse snatched
A purse was stolen from a resident about 4 p.m. Dec. 19 as she shopped at Meijer, 14640 Pardee Road.
She said it was in her cart when she turned away briefly, then turned back to find it missing.
It contained $60 cash, four charge cards and a checkbook.
Store thieves dump items, get cash
Police were called about 10 p.m. Dec. 24 to Tobacco Plus, 26213 Eureka Road, on word of a break-in.
They arrived to find the front door locked and the rear door pried open. Coins wrappers and cell phones were found strewn about the alley and were returned to the business.
A drawer containing $100 cash had been emptied.
TV, computer gone from apartment
A resident of the 15700 block of Park Village Boulevard returned to his apartment about 12:45 p.m. Dec. 24 to find several items missing.
He had left about 7:15 a.m. for a medical appointment and came home to find a deadbolt lock had been pried off and tossed onto the floor.
A television was taken from the living room, and a computer, a monitor, a keyboard and a printer were taken from a bedroom.
Trenton
Alleged heroin user arrested
A 31-year-old resident’s traffic stop turned into an arrest Monday.
Police spotted his 1995 Chevrolet van turning from Colonial Drive onto northbound Turner and had prior knowledge that it had an improper license plate. They stopped him for that and for having a loud muffler.
During the stop police learned that the man’s driver’s license was suspended. They also found a used syringe with a cap on it lying on the ground outside the van’s passenger window.
The driver admitted to that the syringe was his and said it may still have contained heroin.
Wyandotte
Man pulls knife during road rage incident
Two knives were confiscated from a man involved in a road rage incident in the police station’s parking lot.
Shortly before 9 a.m. Dec. 22, an officer was dispatched on a call that two men were pulling into the lot to settle an earlier incident.
A 54-year-old Grosse Ile man who had been driving a 1994 Dodge Ram told the officer that the driver of a 2007 Ford Fusion had cut him off on Biddle north of Pennsylvania. He also said the driver, a 43-year-old Dearborn man, had made obsene gestures toward him.
As the Grosse Ile man told his story, the Dearborn man began screaming at him and the officer, and then was arrested for disorderly conduct and expired license plates.
The Dearborn man then told the officer that the Grosse Ile man had pulled out a 7-inch knife out and brandished it through the open window, telling him he would cut his neck. The Dearborn man said he went to step out of vehicle to confront the man, but the man sped off.
The Grosse Ile man admitted to pulling the knife out and was arrested for felony assault. A second knife, measuring 6 inches, also was found in his car. Both vehicles were impounded.
Fake check, drugs, found on woman
Marijuana was found in the purse of a 23-year-old Detroit woman attempting to cash a fraudulent payroll check Dec. 22.
Officers found 0.5 grams of marijuana rolled in a cigar wrapper in the 23-year-old woman’s purse after a teller at Monroe Bank & Trust, 2517 Fort, called to report that a check she was attempting to cash was fraudulent. The check, purportedly from Phare Truth Electric of Trenton, was for $984.19.
The teller contacted the company after the woman’s account came up on the bank’s computers as flagged for fraud. Officials of the company said a check had not been issued to the woman, and that she was not an employee.
The teller showed police an actual check from the company, which differed significantly in design. The woman was arrested and admitted that she knew the check was fraudulent. She said a Detroit man had driven her to the bank to cash it after repeatedly attempting to get her to do so.
She described the man as black, tall and 36 years old with a short fade-style haircut.
Riverview
Driver switches plates
A 19-year-old Taylor man was cited for operating a vehicle with a suspended license after an officer noticed its plates had expired.
Shortly after 1 p.m. Dec. 23, the officer stopped the 1995 purple Ford Ranger as it was driving east on Pennsylvania.
After the man handed the officer the registration, the officer realized the plate also was registered to a different vehicle, and that the man’s license had been suspended.
The driver told the officer he had just purchased the vehicle an hour ago and was headed to the Secretary of State’s office to register it. The officer then examined the vehicle’s title, which showed the vehicle had been purchased in Ypsilanti on an unknown date.
The driver then told the officer the plate belonged on his Jeep, and that he was not on his way to the Secretary of State’s office, but was taking his girlfriend home. He maintained, however, that he had just purchased the vehicle an hour ago.
The man said he was not aware his license was suspended, but knew he had some outstanding traffic tickets from Allen Park. He was arrested and released on bond.
Fraudulent charges appear on card
A Riverview woman arrived at the police station Dec. 23 to report someone had used her credit card without her consent.
A total of $448 was charged to the card, with purchases made at various retail stores and restaurants in Atlanta between Dec. 4 and 9.
She was advised to contact the Federal Trade Commission. The woman canceled her card.
(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, Andrea Poteet and Tom Tigani.)