Allen Park
Cell swiped during sale
An attempted sale of a cell phone through an online bulletin board allegedly turned into a robbery Monday.
Sometime before 6 p.m. that day the alleged victim met in a parking lot in the 16000 block of Southfield Road with a man who had called inquiring about the phone after he posted it for sale on the bulletin board.
After handing the phone to the man, described as black and in his late 20s with short dreadlocks, he ran from the area without paying for it and left in a blue “foreign-type” car.
Tools taken from truck
Eight power tools were stolen from a company truck parked in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express, 3600 Enterprise Dr. Oct. 18.
At about 6 p.m. Oct. 17, the driver parked the truck there and when he returned at 6 a.m. the next day, he discovered two lock boxes attached to the truck had been damaged. Missing were two jig saws, two circular saws, a right angle drill, two receptacle saws and one power drill valued together at about $1,000.
The hotel’s manager said he would review the hotel’s surveillance footage and report back to police.
Dearborn
Van taken from store parking lot
A gray 2000 Dodge caravan was stolen about 5:30 p.m. Oct. 22 from the parking lot of Burlington Coat Factory, 16301 Ford Road.
The victim said the vehicle was taken without the keys.
Break-in nets jewelry haul
About $2,000 worth of jewelry was stolen sometime before 8:45 p.m. Oct. 23 from a house in the 1000 block of North Lafayette.
The victim said she was sure she left the rear door locked while she and her family were out, but was not certain. She said most of the jewelry was taken from various drawers in the bedroom, except a pendant which was on top of the dresser.
Officers determined the point of entry was the east bedroom window, where glass was found on the floor and a rock was on the bed.
Dearborn Heights
Teens taken in on pot bust
Two 16-year-old Dearborn Heights residents were arrested for marijuana-related charges about 10:30 a.m. Oct. 20 in a lot near the 26000 block of Richardson.
Officers arrested the two after noticing a tan 2000 Ford F-150 hidden behind a construction dumpster and noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the pickup truck. A search of the vehicle revealed a lock box containing three clear plastic vials of marijuana.
The driver said the drugs belonged to a friend. He said the friend and another acquaintance were in the truck selling marijuana at Van Houten Park, 6044 Silvery Lane, and left the box in the truck.
The driver was arrested on charges of Violation of Public Health Code and Possession with Intent to Distribute and the passenger was arrested on charges of Loitering Where Narcotics are Kept and Stored or Used.
Suspect sought in home invasion
A shoebox-sized safe, jewelry and an undetermined amount of money including $2 bills were taken sometime before 2:30 p.m. Oct. 21 from a house in the 1000 block of Plainfield.
A neighbor said she saw a white male run from the house’s direction about 1:45 p.m. and get into the rear passenger door of a charcoal gray Trail Blazer which fled north on Plainfield. She said the vehicle returned 30 minutes later then left, heading east on Kingswood.
The suspect is described as five feet, eight inches tall with a medium build and was wearing a white sweatshirt.
Vehicle break-in nets electronics
A global positioning system unit valued at about $100 was stolen sometime before 9 p.m. Oct. 24 from a vehicle parked in the 4000 block of Sycamore.
Lincoln Park
Runaway deer put down
Tuesday didn’t begin as a business-as-usual day at National Auto Glass, 2580 Dix-Toledo, when an employee opened the door and found a deer inside shortly before 9 a.m.
According to a police report, the employee said the startled animal ran through a glass door and headed east on Champaign.
The next report described the deer being struck by a 2003 Ford Econoline at the intersection of Dix-Toledo and Champaign. Calls to police then placed the animal roaming backyards in the 1500 block of Michigan. Once located, the deer was shot with a tranquilizer dart, which injured the animal and sent it roaming through backyards until officers caught up with it in the 1800 block of Ford Blvd.
Seeing the obviously injured deer, an officer shot it with a shotgun, and the animal was taken to the Allen Park Animal Shelter to be destroyed.
Cirrus stolen from driveway
An early-morning car thief made off with a 1999 Chrysler Cirrus, valued at $3,000, from the 1600 block of Liberty Ave.
A woman told police that she last saw her car at 6 a.m., and two hours later it was missing from where it was parked on the road. Responding officers noted broken glass near where the Cirrus was parked.
The vehicle was paid in full and the woman had all keys. The vehicle’s description was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.
Melvindale
Drugs found during traffic stop
A 21-year-old Ypsilanti woman was arrested Oct. 21 after officers found marijuana in her car during a traffic stop near Hannna and Outer Drive.
After approaching the vehicle, officers smelled burnt marijuana and the driver, a 20-year-old Ypsilanti woman, and one of the two passengers, the 21-year-old woman, both denied having marijuana but said they had smoked some earlier in the day.
A search of the vehicle revealed a marijuana cigarette in the 21-year-old woman’s purse.
She was arrested and booked without incident.
Say it, don’t spray it
A disagreement between a resident of the 3600 block of Clarence and a DTE Energy employee attempting to shut off her power allegedly ended with the woman and her dog being sprayed with pepper spray Oct. 24.
The woman and her dog were outside when the employee approached. She took the dog inside and when she returned he told her he had orders from the company to shut off the power and she became very angry, allegedly threatening to “sick” her dog on him if he did so.
She then allegedly went into the house and retrieved the dog, saying “go, go.” The employee said he was in immediate fear and sprayed his pepper spray in the direction of the dog. The woman, who was holding the dog, also was affected by the spray.
The woman said she went into the house to call the company and when she wasn’t looking, the dog ran outside. She said when she bent down to grab the dog when the man sprayed them both with pepper spray.
Riverview
Compressor missing after move
A man who moved from his ex-wife’s house in the 14200 block of Hamilton last month reported Oct. 21 that a 33-gallon air compressor he had stored in the house’s attached garage didn’t make the trip.
The man, who now lives in Newport, said he checked with his ex-wife but she did not know anything about it and he does not suspect her.
Car broken into during visit
Someone attempted to steal a 2006 Chrysler Sebring from the parking lot of Kinghaven Manor, 14800 King Rd., sometime overnight Oct. 23.
The owner, a Farmington Hills resident, was visiting her mother overnight at the facility and when she returned to her vehicle at 8 a.m. Oct. 23, she saw one of the car’s door locks had been broken along with the steering column and the ignition switch. A cell phone left inside the car was also missing.
Southgate
Car thieves strike twice
Southgate Police responded to two motor vehicle theft reports, one successful and the other leaving a van inoperable.
At about 9:40 a.m. Oct. 3 a woman reported the attempted theft of her 2005 Dodge Caravan from the 12000 block of Chestnut. The woman said that sometime overnight, her driver’s side window was smashed and the ignition and steering column were damaged. The damage is estimated at $500.
Just south of Chestnut, a shopper at CW Price, 14255 Eureka Road, reported the theft of her 1997 Dodge Stratus, valued at $2,000. The woman told police she went shopping at about 4 p.m. Monday, and when she returned to the parking lot 20 minutes later found the vehicle missing. The woman said she was in possession of all keys, and the vehicle was paid for in full.
Police entered the specifics on the Stratus into the Law Enforcement Information Network.
Taylor
Cash taken from smoke shop
One or more thieves gained rooftop access to Tobacco Plus, 25732 Eureka Road, and made off with an estimated $200 in cash — although several hundred dollars worth of currency was left in a nearby drawer.
Police responded to a burglar alarm at about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 21, and searched the store soon after when the manager arrived. Investigators noted pry marks surrounding a duct hatch on the roof, and it appeared that the burglars scaled the rear wall of the building. The owner reported that the store’s video system had been disabled. No merchandise was taken other than the missing cash, although there was significant damage to several glass display cases.
Safe stolen from bedroom
A woman in the 6300 block of Hazel Ave. told Police that sometime between 6 and 11 p.m. Oct. 22, someone entered her house and stole a small safe containing $4,500 in cash. Along with the money some personal papers were taken, including registration documents for her vehicle.
The woman, who lives in the house with her two daughters, said that entry was likely gained through the kitchen window. Police were unable to discover any evidence at the home.
Trenton
Cash and more stolen from home
A daytime robber cleaned out a house in the 2400 block of Fourth Street, taking an estimated $1,750 in cash along with a television, sound system, computer and prescription medication.
The victim told police he was away from home from about 11 a.m. to shortly after 3 p.m. Upon returning he noticed a bedroom window open that he recalled closing. Inside, he found the window screen pushed aside, and a bedside table and telephone near the window knocked over.
Missing from the bedroom were a jewelry box with the cash, a 42-inch TV, stereo, computer and prescription pills. The victim did not provide estimated values of the missing merchandise.
Police were investigating possible leads, including a man with whom the victim had recently argued that was seen in a nearby alley when the victim left that morning.
Wyandotte
Truck malfunctions after feud
A resident of the 1400 block of Dee suspects his neighbor of “sabotaging” his truck.
The man reported Oct. 21 at about 1 p.m. that several lug nuts were missing from is 1998 Chevrolet truck.
Seven days prior, he said he lost the front driver’s-side tire of the vehicle while driving on Interstate 75, causing more than $500 in damage to the truck.
The man moved to the residence two weeks ago and thinks the incidents stem from a disagreement he had with a neighbor over a parking space.
Playground ‘squatter’ caught
A 13-year-old boy was made to shovel away the evidence after admitting he defecated on a school playground Oct. 17.
The boy and a friend were stopped by police on 17th south of Pine at about 5:30 p.m. that day after a janitor at Wilson Middle School told police parents had seen the boy pull down his pants, expose his buttocks and relieve his bowels on the playground.
The boy told police he had no choice and could not control it. Back at the school, the janitor identified him as the responsible party and showed officers the feces, which had been covered in wood chips in an apparent attempt to disguise it. He was made to clean up the feces and anything possibly contaminated by it with a shovel.
(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)