Allen Park
Mail carrier spots spray paint on house
A mail carrier alerted a resident of the 15000 block of Warwick Feb. 26 that someone had vandalized his house.
The carrier told the man about 1:30 p.m. that day that a white dollar sign with a backwards “E” had been on the side of his house for about a week.
There are no suspects.
New car missing during shift
An employee of Olga’s, 3432 Fairlane Drive, had a new car for no more than a day before someone stole it from the parking lot during his shift Feb. 27.
He had parked the 2006 Dodge Caravan there about 1:30 p.m. that day and when he returned about seven hours later, it was missing. He had bought it the day prior from a car lot.
Suspects sought in Lowe’s thefts
Police are looking for suspects thought to be behind a ring of thefts and returns at Lowe’s stores after hitting the Lowe’s at 2311 Outer Drive for a reported fourth time Feb. 28.
The suspects, about whom no information was given, were dropped off in front of the store about 9:30 a.m. that day by a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. They then entered the store, stole items valued at $1,016 and left in the Chevrolet without paying, staying inside the store for less than five minutes.
Store employees told police the men had immediately attempted to return the items at a Lowe’s in Madison Heights.
Woman, car, keys missing
A man called police about 5:30 p.m. March 2 to report his 1998 Dodge may have been stolen from the parking lot of his hotel after he picked up a woman at a gas station.
He said he met the woman at a Detroit gas station and took her back to his hotel room in Motor Lodge, 14887 Southfield, where he drank beers and she allegedly smoked crack cocaine.
He said he fell asleep about 9 a.m. and when he awoke about 5 p.m. found the woman, his car and his keys missing.
The woman is described as white, about 5 feet 11 inches, and thin with brown hair. She told him her name was Faith.
Dearborn
Checkbook stolen from house
A woman discovered her checkbook missing from her house in the 4400 block of Raymond and called police about 11 a.m. March 1. The woman told reporting officers that someone went into her house and stole her checkbook from her dresser.
Reporting officers did not find evidence of forced entry. The report did not state whether the woman was home during the theft.
Suspect attempted to take valuables
After a homeowner reportedly chased a man through the streets for attempting to steal valuables from his garage in the 10000 block of Tireman March 4, he called police about 7 p.m. that day.
When officers responded, the homeowner told them that the man, described as black, about 6 feet tall and wearing a black shirt, attempted to remove a bicycle and other items from his garage. He saw his garage door forced open with no damage. The homeowner said he found his bicycle in his backyard and chased the man on foot through a couple of backyards. Officers did not find the suspect.
Dearborn Heights
Thieves rob man of money
Thieves robbed a man of $15 about midnight Feb. 22 at Van Buren and Beech Daly. The man reported the incident to police and said he was walking home from his job on Telegraph when a Ford F-150 pickup truck pulled up next to him on Van Born. A man in the passenger side of the truck got out and asked him how much money he had.
The man said he told the passenger, described as white, in his late 20s, about 5 feet tall and 160 pounds, that he had a few dollars. He then saw a black handgun in the suspect’s waistband.
The man then took money out of his wallet and gave it to the suspect. The suspect got back into his pickup’s passenger side and his accomplice turned on Van Born heading east. The truck had plywood in its bed, according to the report.
Gold, money missing from house
Someone stole a television, cash and other valuables from a house in the 21000 block of Fairview between March 2 and 3.
A man called police to report the crime and said the thief entered his house through a rear bathroom window, reportedly locked.
Once inside, the suspect ransacked the house and stole a 51-inch television, located in the basement, and about $25,000 worth of gold from a master bedroom and $5,000 in cash. The suspect left out a rear door.
Lincoln Park
Stolen car found in Detroit
A rented 2013 Kia reported stolen March 1 was impounded the following day by Detroit police after being abandoned by the car thief.
The owner of the Kia reported that the rental vehicle had been stolen from in front of his house in the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue while he was away overnight. When he returned he discovered that someone had kicked in the front door and stolen the car keys and a $500 laptop computer from his house.
Lincoln Park police were notified by Detroit officers of the recovered car.
Southgate
Burglars nab computer, phone
While a woman did laundry in the basement of an apartment building in the 16000 block of Barberry early Feb. 1, a burglar broke into her apartment and stole a $1,000 computer and $500 cell phone.
Police were called to the apartment shortly after midnight, not long after a woman said she chased someone out of her apartment. She had finished doing laundry, returned to the apartment and was in the bedroom, she told police; about 20 minutes later she heard noises, and looked into the front room where she saw a shadowy figure run out the door.
The woman said she chased the burglar and shouted for help. The suspect ran out the front door and was last seen driving away in a silver or grey colored vehicle.
The woman was not able to describe the suspect, to include gender identification.
Police looked for evidence and awaited further descriptions of any stolen items.
Riverview
Weapon fired at door
Someone fired an unknown weapon at a door in the 18500 block of Fort sometime before 8 a.m. Feb. 25.
Pellet marks were discovered in the door, which was last seen intact about 2 p.m. Feb. 23.
Marijuana, paraphernalia found during traffic stop
About 4 grams of marijuana were found in a vehicle driven by a 19-year-old resident Feb. 28.
About 8 p.m. that day, police received a call from a neighbor who said the vehicle was circling around the area of Hinton and Hale then had parked down the street.
Officers pulled up behind the vehicle, which then pulled away and officers conducted a traffic stop.
When the driver stepped out, a marijuana grinder with residue fell out of the front seat onto the floor. Also found was a corn cob pipe containing residue and sandwich bag containing 4.9 grams of marijuana.
The driver and his 19-year-old passenger said the paraphernalia belonged to them, but did not take ownership of the marijuana, according to the report.
Both were cited for possession of drugs and paraphernalia.
Taylor
Honda stolen from parking lot
A vehicle parked at Taylor Town Center, 22525 Pardee Road, was stolen during a two-hour period March 3 when its owner was inside.
A woman told police she and her father parked her 2001 Honda CRV, of unreported value, in the lot about 12:45 p.m. They returned at 2:20 p.m. to discover the vehicle missing. Investigators did not discover any evidence of forced entry or broken glass. The woman said the vehicle was paid for and she had all keys. A description of the vehicle was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.
Trenton
Fake gun leads to man’s arrest
Trenton police withstood a very real standoff with a man they believed was armed, an encounter that ended with a 39-year-old man placed under arrest after waving what was determined to be a non-functioning replica of a handgun.
Police responded on at 7:45 a.m. Feb. 27 to calls from a homeowner in the 2600 block of Lenox. The woman told police that her 39-year-old son was at her home uninvited, and that he had a small gun on him; she did not know whether the gun was real.
Additional officers arrived on the scene. Two went in the front door, two behind the house where the suspect was seen sitting on a sofa in an enclosed porch.
The man began yelling at the officers to leave, and raised what appeared to be a small caliber handgun; first the man pointed it at the officers before placing it against his own temple.
“Pull the trigger,” the man said as reported by police. “Go ahead and kill me.”
The man instead dropped the gun and knelt on the ground. He was quickly taken into custody and then transported to Oakwood South Shore Hospital for treatment.
Wyandotte
Threats precede tank vandalism
A resident of the 400 block of Orchard believes his former girlfriend broke his fish tank and stole his cat.
The man said he returned home about 4 a.m. Wednesday to find his front door window broken. When he went inside his fish tank, valued at $1,000 was smashed and his hairless cat was missing.
He said the ex-girlfriend had recently sent him a text message saying he loved the fish more than he loved her.
A few days prior, he said, someone had entered his house by unknown means and poured vinegar into a different fish tank in an attempt to kill his fish. He said the woman had claimed responsibility by text message.
A shoe print was left on the front door.
(Compiled by Sherri Kolade, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)
Safety advisories
Package delivery safety tips.
Residents need to be on the alert for suspicious vehicles and people in their neighborhoods.
Police departments throughout the country receive a number of reports about UPS, FedEx and U.S. Postal Service packages being stolen from mailboxes and doorsteps.
Thieves often will target their victims by following behind UPS, FedEx and USPS trucks (known as “tailgating”) and watch for deliveries where packages are left in open areas. Once the delivery person has left the package, the thieves will go onto the property and steal these packages.
Here are a few safety tips you can take to better protect yourself if you are expecting a package delivery.
• Always retrieve packages (and mail) as soon as it arrives.
If you are not going to be home to receive the package:
• Send the package to the residence of a trusted friend or relative who you know will be home. Be sure that the friend is ready and waiting to retrieve the package when the doorbell rings and be on the lookout in case the doorbell doesn’t ring.
• Ask the package delivery company to hold the package if you will not be home. (Many have local delivery centers.)
• Request that your package is marked “signature required.” This requires the delivery person to stand by and wait until you’re available to retrieve the package.
• Leave special instructions with the delivery company on where to deliver the package. A good place is on the side or back of the house, so that the package is out of sight from the road.
• Use a company that provides a tracking service and check online to see when it is scheduled to arrive.
• Have the items shipped to the nearest store for “in-store pick up.”
Dearborn residents are asked to be vigilant and report suspicious activity to the Dearborn Police Department at 313-943-3030. If you see a crime in progress, call 911.
Beware of potential scams through mail
The Dearborn Police Department reminds the public to be suspicious of unusual or “too good to be true” offers sent through the mail.
Letters indicating that you will receive offers of free trips, airline tickets, or cash if you provide your personal information may be an attempt to steal your identity. They may also say you have won a lottery and they need your account number to transfer the funds.
There are many variations of this scam designed to obtain your personal information in an effort to make electronic withdraws from your bank account or assume your identity to obtain fraudulent credit accounts.
The public is cautioned not to give out their personal information. People should contact their bank or credit card company directly using the number provided on their credit card or bank statement to determine if they are legitimately trying to make contact. Never use phone numbers listed in the letters, as they will be fraudulent as well.
Kitchen safety Facts
• The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
• Most cooking fires in the home involve the stovetop.
Cooking
Cooking brings family and friends together, provides an outlet for creativity and can be relaxing. But did you know that cooking fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires and home injuries? By following a few safety tips you can prevent these fires.
Safety
“Cook with caution”
• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling,
or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.
If you have a cooking fire
• Just get out. When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
• Call 911 or the local emergency number after you leave.
• If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out.
• Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.