Allen Park
Guinea pig alerts owner to break-in
A loose Guinea pig tipped its owner off to a break-in of her apartment in the 10000 block of Allen Point Drive March 8.
After a 12-hour shift, the woman returned home about 8 p.m. to find her desk had been moved away from a wall and its contents dumped on the floor. Her Guinea pig was running around the floor and its cage was tipped over. A checkbook had been moved near the door.
Nothing appeared to be missing and no damage was found to the door, which had been locked.
Car damaged during shopping trip
The ignition was punched on a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado about 4:30 p.m. March 9 while its owner was shopping at Target, 3100 Fairlane Drive.
After shopping for an unknown amount of time, the woman returned to her unlocked vehicle to find the ignition punched and a miniature sledge hammer on the center console.
The vehicle did not start.
A Chevrolet Trailblazer was stolen from the same parking lot about the same time.
Tanks taken
Seven 20-gallon propane tanks valued together at $280 were discovered missing from The Party Stop, 7235 Allen, about 7:30 a.m. March 5.
A store employee said he locked the cages to the propane tanks about 10:30 p.m. the night prior. The next morning, he discovered the lock cut and the propane missing.
No suspects or evidence was found.
Dearborn
Man’s car stolen
A man visited his cousin’s house in the 14200 block of Wellesley about 5 p.m. March 11, and discovered his gray 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan missing when he left about 20 minutes later.
The man said he placed his keys on the minivan’s center console before he entered the house.
Building vandalized, property stolen
An employee at Goodwill, 22451 Michigan Ave., reported to police that someone sprayed graffiti on the building between noon March 1 and noon March 4.
The employee said the suspect sprayed the phrase “gazm is omega” on the back of the building. The employee also told police that someone stole a rooftop chiller, valued at $3,000, along with about 15 feet of rooftop beam in February.
The employee gave police the number of a roof contractor who repaired the roof in February and discovered burn marks on the roof and a portion of the roof missing. The police report did not mention whether the Goodwill employee contacted police when the rooftop chiller was discovered stolen.
Dearborn Heights
Diamond ring, pills missing from house
A woman discovered her 18-carat white gold diamond ring and one prescription bottle containing 60 tablets missing from a safe in her house in the 8300 block of Dixie Lane March 4.
The woman told reporting officers that about 5:40 p.m. that day she went to work, returned about 11 p.m. and went to take some medication from her safe when she saw her valuables missing. The woman did not see any visible damage to the safe but it would not lock, she told officers. She said no one else knows the combination.
Marijuana stolen from garage
Someone stole medical marijuana from a couple’s garage in the 400 block of Edgewood March 8.
The woman told reporting officers that her husband, who reportedly has cancer, was in the hospital at the time, and when she woke up that day, she saw her garage door open and the marijuana plants missing.
She said that someone broke the garage door lock and entered the garage. A police officer entered the garage and saw a small enclosed room with security doors busted off. He saw smaller marijuana plants growing and larger plants missing. The officer did not speak with the husband to verify his condition.
Lincoln Park
Charity jar stolen
Police are looking for a man who took about $100 worth of bills and coins intended as charitable contributions for a girl with Down syndrome.
About 3:15 p.m. Monday a black man, approximately 40 years old, medium height wearing a black stocking hat, black coat and jeans entered 7-Eleven, 1365 Dix, and asked the clerk if he could wait inside for a friend. The clerk took his eyes off the suspect to clean a coffee pot, and then saw hat the man had left and that a jar of money was missing from the counter.
The container collected money for a local girl with Down syndrome, and held about $100.
Video surveillance footage showed the suspect take the jar from the counter, put in under his jacket and walk out the door.
Police are investigating.
Melvindale
Student suspended after theft
A student at Strong Middle School was was suspended indefinitely after admitting to police Monday that he stole $100 from his teacher’s purse March 8.
The teacher said she withdrew the money from the bank that morning and went to work. She left her purse on her desk throughout the day and after school about 4 p.m. found the money missing.
The principal reviewed surveillance footage, which showed the student, whose age and name were not provided, taking the money from the purse. The child admitted to stealing it.
The teacher said she is unsure whether she wants to pursue charges but would like the money returned.
Riverview
Drunken driver arrested
A man was arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol after striking a utility pole on Pennsylvania near Perry Street about 2 a.m. March 9.
The man told responding officers he had consumed five beers that night. He failed field sobriety tests and declined a preliminary breath test saying, “Do what you have to do.”
He was arrested and while in a holding cell submitted to a preliminary breath test, which resulted in a reading of 0.19 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent for driving in Michigan.
An empty gun holster was later found on the man’s waist. He told police he left the gun with a friend.
Southgate
Two cars targeted by smash-and-grab thief
While responding to a call that someone had smashed a vehicle window and stolen a purse, investigating officers were told of a second, similar larceny in the same parking lot.
Police responded about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7 to a call from YMCA, 16777 North Line, from a woman who said her shoulder bag was taken from her car. Someone had broken in by smashing the rear passenger window and taken the purse which contained about $100 and personal information.
While taking the report the officer was approached by a man who had parked four spaces away, who showed police a busted rear window. The man said a $400 laptop computer was taken.
Police collected evidence and are investigating.
Minivan stolen from street
A woman told police that her 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan valued at $5,000 was stolen from in front of her home in the 12000 block of Irene.
Police were called at 6:30 a.m. Monday. The woman said she had parked on the street at 10 p.m. Sunday night, had all keys in her possession and that the vehicle was fully paid for. Police collected evidence and entered a description of the vehicle in the Law Enforcement Information Network.
Trenton
Fight may have inspired arson
Police and fire investigators are looking into suspected arson of a house in the 3100 block of Birchwood that may have resulted from a dispute between friends.
Officers responded at 8:45 p.m. March 9, to a house fire. Witnesses told police that three people had left the home earlier, one of whom, a 20-year-old man, was threatening the other two with a large stick and also holding the leash of a pit bull terrier.
The victim and witness — both 18 — told police that they had been hanging out with the suspect earlier that day, but after they parted company the suspect called and confronted them about the theft of his wallet and $300.
He then allegedly showed up at the house and assaulted one of the teens with the baseball bat.
Not long after they left the house a fire began in the dining room.
Police and fire investigators interviewed the suspect and victims and are investigating.
Wyandotte
Fraudulent accounts opened
A resident reported Tuesday that someone had opened two DTE Energy accounts in her name without her consent.
Both accounts were from houses in Detroit.
She does not know anyone at either address.
Pregnant woman arrested
A pregnant woman was arrested about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday after officers allegedly found an unknown amount of marijuana in her car.
The 31-year-old resident was arrested after her 1999 Ford Explorer was stopped when an officer saw it weaving back and forth on Biddle without its headlights on about 8 p.m. that day.
She emitted an odor of marijuana and had red, glassy eyes, according to the police report.
She told the officer she had smoked marijuana two hours beforehand and that she had a Michigan Medical Marijuana Card, but it had expired in January. She said she had sent a renewal fee for the card and showed a receipt marked Feb. 11.
She failed field sobriety tests and a search of her vehicle revealed a mason jar with marijuana and paraphernalia and a small glass pipe containing marijuana residue.
She was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated – second offense, child endangerment and violation of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act.
(Compiled by Sherri Kolade, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)