Allen Park
Pants conceal wine
A 49-year-old Dearborn woman attempted to steal three bottles of wine Jan. 29 from Meijer, 3565 Fairlane Drive, by concealing them in her pants.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m., the woman entered the store, appearing to be intoxicated. Loss prevention officers then followed her to the beer and wine section, where she was seen stuffing the bottles into the front of her pants.
The woman then attempted to exit the store after paying for some items, but not the wine. She was arrested for third-degree retail fraud.
Churchgoer returns home to break-in
A house in the 17200 block of Russell was broken into after a woman came to the door to ask the owner about his daily routine.
The homeowner said at about 9 a.m. Sunday, a Middle Eastern woman approximately 50 to 60 years old came to his door to ask him about a statue in his front yard. She then asked if he was going to church that day, and he told her he and his wife normally attend 11 a.m. services.
The woman left and the couple left for church about 10:30 a.m. When they returned home just after noon, they noticed the back door to the house had been kicked in. Some items appeared to be out of place, but nothing appeared to be missing.
Dearborn
Car warm-up backfires
Two cars were stolen Jan. 26 from the 23000 block of Lawrence.
A 2008 silver Range Rover and a 2009 black Mercedes were left running to be warmed up at 7:15 a.m. Keys were in the ignitions of both vehicles.
When the owner went back outside 15 minutes later, both were gone.
Cards, wallet stolen
A handbag was stolen Jan. 30 from a a 2008 black Mercury Mariner at the Dearborn Ice Skating Center, 14900 Ford Road.
The rear driver’s-side window was broken, and the handbag, valued at $60, was missing. It contained an assortment of credit cards and a wallet valued at $100.
One of the cards was used at a gas station not long after the theft.
Dearborn Heights
Canine caper
A woman returned to her house in the 25000 block of Powers at 6 p.m. Jan. 26 to find that she’d been robbed.
Missing were prescriptions for two painkillers, along with her 6-month-old dog, a white Pekingese.
The dog has no identification chip.
Electronics stolen from van at store
Several electronics items were taken Jan. 23 from a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country at ALDI Foods, 24130 Van Born.
The owner was inside the store for several minutes before returning to find that entry was gained into the minivan, which had been locked. It was undamaged, however.
Stolen were a video camera, a digital camera, a Global Positioning System unit and a laptop computer.
Lincoln Park
Computers, tools grabbed from van
Thousands of dollars worth of goods were discovered missing about 4:30 p.m. Jan. 26 from a 1998 GMC van parked at Graphicwear, 1032 Southfield Road.
The driver had parked the van 10 minutes before and returned to find the driver’s-side window broken out and the loot missing. Gone were nearly $6,600 worth of power tools, cell phones and electronics, as well as two computers valued at $900 and $2,200, respectively.
A bank bag containing cash and a check also was taken.
Pizzeria employees chase robber
Employees helped police nab a robber about 7:30 p.m. Jan 26 at Jet’s Pizza, 3022 Fort St.
A caller said a man wearing a backpack had stolen a tip jar off the counter and ran south toward Fort and London near First Baptist Church. Two employees had chased the man and told police he was hiding in the church’s basement.
One told him the man had given him $7, told him he was sorry and asked him not to call police. Officers then arrested the man, who they said appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The jar contained about $30 in cash.
Southgate
Stolen cards used to buy gas
A wallet and credit cards were among the items taken last Sunday from a 1997 GMC Jimmy parked at Kmart, 16705 Fort St.
The owner said she went inside the store just before 1 p.m. and returned to find the items missing, along with a Social Security card. The driver’s-side door of her vehicle does not lock, she said.
Police said one of the credit cards was used a short time later to charge $100 and then $43 at a gas station in Detroit, where an employee said video surveillance captured two vehicles fueling with gas paid for with the cards. Police planned to check the video for license plate numbers.
Purse, contents netted in break-in
A $500 designer purse was among the items taken about 4:15 p.m. Jan. 29 from a 1997 Dodge Neon parked at Planet Fitness, 13591 Eureka Road.
The owner was inside for about an hour and returned to find the purse missing, along with miscellaneous credit cards, Social Security cards, a Georgia driver’s license, a cell phone valued at $100 and a $200 digital camera.
Taylor
Compressor, crossbow swiped
An air compressor and hunting crossbow were stolen sometime before Monday from a garage in the 6800 block of Buck.
The resident said entry had been gained by breaking off the handle on a side door.
Thief going fishing?
Ice fishing equipment was taken between 8 p.m. Jan. 27 and 7 a.m. Jan. 28 during the break-in of a garage in the 8200 block of Monroe.
Chicken removed from semitrailer
Twelve boxes of frozen chicken were taken about 4:15 a.m. Jan. 26 from a semitrailer parked at 21740 Trolley Industrial Drive.
A driver from a Missouri company was sleeping in the cab of his semitruck when the trailer alarm sounded. The seal of the trailer had been broken in order to remove the boxes.
Surveillance video showed a rented cargo van entering the lot and pulling up next to the trailer, and two people could be seen exiting the van and approaching the rear of the trailer.
Police said the van’s license plate number was unreadable, but that the van bore the word “U-Haul” on the sides, along with pictures of rhinoceroses.
Melvindale
House entered, dryer moved
A house in the 2800 block of Grace allegedly was entered Jan 30.
The homeowner said he had locked the doors and believes the intruder used a lock pick.
He said he did not know if anything was missing, but that his dryer had been pulled out from a wall in the basement. No evidence of forced entry was found on the door.
Riverview
Unlicensed driver stopped
A 41-year-old Detroit man stopped for a speeding infraction Jan. 31 never had a valid driver’s license.
Police stopped him on Pennsylvania near Kennebec for driving 52 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone. He could provide officers only with a Michigan identification card and said his license had been suspended because of unpaid traffic tickets.
A computer records check showed the man never had acquired a driver’s license and also had 32 open license suspensions.
Wyandotte
Tinted windows lead to pot arrest
More than 30 grams of marijuana was found in a vehicle stopped Jan. 29 for dark tinted windows.
The vehicle was stopped in the 1720 block of Fort after an officer noticed he could not see anyone inside the vehicle through the windows. When he approached, he smelled burnt marijuana and saw marijuana on the console.
He then found 20 grams on marijuana and a marijuana scale with residue on the 18-year-old driver and 15 grams of marijuana and a scale with residue on the 19-year-old passenger. Both men, of Lincoln Park, were arrested.
Robbery suspect, paraphernalia found
Heroin paraphernalia was found Jan. 27 in a vehicle connected with a theft from a pharmacy.
The silver Ford Focus station wagon was stopped after running a red light on eastbound Fort shortly before noon. Its passenger, a 30 year-old Lincoln Park man allegedly stole five cases of energy drinks from a CVS/pharmacy, 131 Elm, earlier that day. The drinks were valued together at $80.
Fourteen syringes and two spoons, one of which was burnt, were found under the driver’s seat of the vehicle. The driver, a 48-year-old Prudenville man, said he knew the passenger was inside stealing the drinks. Both men were arrested.