Allen Park
Digital camera, credit card taken from vehicle
Police responded to a complaint of theft after a man found his vehicle was broken into May 12. The man told police that someone “rifled” through the vehicle and took a digital camera worth $600 and a jewelry store credit card.
The vehicle was parked in the man’s driveway next to the garage. It is believed the theft occurred between 4 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. May 11. The credit card was canceled but the camera has not been recovered.
$1,700 worth of items taken from vehicle
A man in the 6800-block of Robinson Avenue reported items were taken from his vehicle during the night May 1. The vehicle was parked at the man’s house around 11 p.m. and may have been left unlocked.
The thief got away with a pair of prescription sunglasses valued at $200 and his father’s in-ear model hearing aid valued at $1,500.
Vehicle stolen from driveway
A woman’s 2004 Ford Focus sedan, was stolen from her driveway in the 9800 block of Hubert Avenue the morning of May 12. The woman said the car was parked and left unlocked in the driveway around 2 a.m.
The woman was unsure if the keys to the vehicle were left inside because she could not locate them. The vehicle was reported missing around 4 a.m. Police entered the vehicle as stolen into the Law Enforcement Information Network system.
Vehicle stolen from near house
A 2013 light green Ford Fusion was reported stolen about 10 a.m. May 12 from from a woman’s house in the 15000 block of Champaign. The woman said she parked and locked the vehicle on Fox just south of Champaign near her garage around 5:30 p.m. She returned to where she parked the car only to find it missing.
Police reported there was no evidence of broken glass around the vehicle’s last known location. It was not reported if windows were open or how the suspect entered car. The extra set of keys were in the center console of the vehicle prior to its theft.
Police entered the vehicle into Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen. There were no reported witnesses or known suspects at this time.
Church broken into; utility cart stolen
Police were called to Inter-City Baptist Church when a church employee discovered a maintenance garage was broken into. The employee, was driving past the church and noticed the garage had been opened. After checking the garage and surrounding area, he contacted the police.
Police also conducted a search of the area but were unable to locate the cart or any suspects. The employee secured the garage while an officer was present. The employee could not identify the make and model of the utility cart but said he would contact police at a later date.
A report was made to the Law Enforcement Information Network system referencing the stolen cart.
Dearborn
House broken into
A man returning home from running errands discovered that his house had been broken into in the 4700 block of Korte between 11 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. May 10.
The man had been in the house for approximately 10 minutes when he noticed the back door swing open. He went to close it and discovered damage to the molding and a broken strike plate. He then searched the house and found the second floor master bedroom ransacked.
A search of the bedroom showed that a donation box containing more than $1,000 and a jewelry box with assorted costume jewelry were missing. A leather wallet also was missing from the room.
The man told police he did not notice anything else missing from the house and that he did not know of anyone who would wish to steal the items.
Police canvassed the area for witnesses but did not find any. In a search of the property they discovered damage to the chain-link fence behind the house. They also observed damage to tree branches near the fence that appeared to have been made recently.
Car broken into
A woman leaving her house in the 1900 block of North Hawthorne just after noon May 11 discovered that her gold 2013 Chrysler Town & Country had been broken into.
The woman told police that she had gotten into the vehicle to leave the house when she discovered that someone had forcefully removed the in-dash navigation unit.
The vehicle had been parked in the driveway overnight and the woman said she had not heard anything during the night.
Police observed pry marks and visible damage under the door handle on the driver’s side door handle. The victim did not notice that anything else had been taken from the vehicle.
Dearborn Heights
Bicycle swapped, stolen
A man discovered his bicycle missing and a different one left in its place in the 3900 block of Ziegler about 1:15 p.m. May 12.
The man’s bike, a black Fuju 12-speed mountain bike, had been left in the back yard leaning against the garage overnight.
When he went out in the morning he found a black Mongoose Outer Limit bicycle in the yard. A check of the property showed that the Fuju bicycle was missing.
Police talked to the man and neighbors but no one reported seeing the theft.
Suspicious persons going door to door
A home invasion in the 6600 block of Parkland that was reported to police just after 3 p.m. May 10 led to the search for two boys.
The victim and her daughter had been away from the house for approximately two hours when they returned to find the front door wide open. The daughter told police she had not locked the door, but that it had been closed when they left. Nothing was reported as missing.
A neighbor told police he saw two boys approximately 15 to 17 years old going door to door on Parkland checking to see if the front doors were unlocked. One of the boys was described as white with long, curly brown hair and the other was described as black with short black hair shaved on the sides.
The witness approached the boys and asked them what they were doing, and they told him that they were looking for “Theresa.” They then walked south on Parkland and out of sight.
A second witness told police that he had seen two boys of a similar description on the street. They had visited his house asking for “Theresa” and were observed later on the porch of the house that was invaded. The witness saw them open the screen door and then the front door.
The witness confronted the boys at the house and they told him that “no one is home,” and walked south on Parkland.
No suspects were found in a police search of the area, but the victim and witnesses were advised to call police if the suspects were seen in the area again.
Lincoln Park
Storage bin robbed of tools, equipment
More than $10,000 worth of yard equipment, barbecue gear and a commercial dishwasher were reported stolen from a shopping container in the parking lot of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 552, 1125 Fort St.
Police were called Monday morning and told that, sometime between 11:30 p.m. Sunday and that morning, the swing doors of a storage unit were broken into. Missing were two lawn mowers, a gas grill, commercial washer, snow lower, propane tanks and other items.
Police took note of the missing items, collected evidence and are investigating.
Hit-and-run driver found nearby
Police only had to look around the corner from the reported scene of a property damage hit-and-run accident Sunday morning. The driver responsible, believed to be under the influence, was around the corner fixing a tire damaged during the accident.
A homeowner in the 1500 block of Pagel Avenue called police shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday to report that a tan pickup truck had just driven through a woman’s fence. The resident provided license information and police were told that the suspect vehicle, a 1991 GMC truck, was parked one block over at Stewart Avenue and Lafayette Boulevard.
According to police reports, the driver was attempting to fix a damaged tire, and told police, “I hit a fence and someone’s house because these tires are bad.” He left the area, he said, because “I don’t have a license or any of that.”
Police also believed the man had been drinking, which he admitted he had the night before, although he wasn’t certain how much he had consumed. “I’m not sure, but it was a lot,” he said. A preliminary breath test indicated the driver had a 0.17 blood alcohol content, more than twice the legal limit in Michigan for drunken driving.
The man was placed under arrest and lodged pending charges of operating while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a property accident and failure to provide proof of insurance.
Melvindale
Argument involving racial slurs almost turns violent
Police responded to a harassment complaint at DeLuca Park about 4 p.m. May 9. The incident involved juveniles and was believed to stem from threats made by students at school.
Witnesses told police a group of juveniles approached from Ruth Avenue yelling racial slurs trying to incite a physical reaction. The argument escalated with slurs being volleyed between the groups but a witness intervened.
The incident was diffused before a fight could occur and both sides were sent in separate directions.
One victim stated she was constantly harassed and threatened at school and when the incident escalated, she chose to separate herself by entering into a neighboring property.
Suspicious activity leads to citations for family
A call was made to the police regarding suspicious activity at Comfort Inn, 17600 Dix Ave. A man was seen dragging a woman believed to be intoxicated from the building.
Police observed the pair walking north on Clarann Street. They concluded the woman was intoxicated after observing slurred speech and her state of imbalance. The woman admittedly had a “few sips of tequila” in a room at the hotel. Officers made contact with the occupants of the hotel room and were told they had been drinking. The juveniles admitted to possessing tequila and showed officers its location.
Officers were told the room was rented by a parent and the alcohol was provided by a sister. Both are Detroit residents and were cited for contributing to delinquency of a minor and furnishing alcohol to minors, respectively.
The alcohol was confiscated and poured out by police. The juveniles were released to their guardians with no further incidents.
Marijuana found during traffic stop
Police stopped a car traveling at a high rate of speed on Oakwood Boulevard shortly after midnight May 12. The driver said he never acquired a driver’s license and subsequently was arrested and searched.
During the search, police found a bag of alleged marijuana in the driver’s right shirt pocket, and a pill bottle containing three more bags, in his left shirt pocket.
The driver was also found to have his driving privileges suspended April 26. He was cited for speeding, not possessing a license and possession of a controlled substance and taken into custody. The vehicle was searched and released to its passengers, the man’s girlfriend and their six-month-old daughter.
Southgate
Bicycles boosted from shed
A home owner in the 13000 block of Kerr told police he believed that “scrappers” were responsible for stealing three children’s bicycles and other items from his shed in pursuit of scrap metal to be sold.
Police responded about 6 p.m. Monday to reports that sometime between 8 a.m. and that evening one or more thieves broke into his shed and stole three bicycles, a lawn mower and several bike frames and tire rims.
Police did not discover any sign of forced entry, and noted descriptions of the stolen items.
Taylor
Gun, electronics stolen from home
A homeowner in the 24800 block of Crowley reported the theft of several valuables, including a handgun taken from a small safe.
Police responded at 2 p.m. May 10 and were told that the man had left home at 10 a.m., believed he had locked all doors, and when he returned noticed that a $300 xBox videogame system and $800 RCA TV were missing. After making sure the home was safe, the man discovered the theft of a small Phoenix Raven .25-caliber handgun.
Police entered a description of the weapon into the Law Enforcement Information Network and are investigating.
Apartment looted during coffee break
A man living in the 26000 block of Eureka went out for coffee shortly before 10 a.m. May 9, and had left a screen door closed but not locked. When he returned shortly after 11 a.m., he discovered the theft of a $400 Insignia TV and $1,000 Dell computer.
Police noted the descriptions of the stolen items, but did not discover any signs of forced entry.
Trenton
Police find stolen steel, suspects at scene
Reports of a suspicious vehicle parked near a vandalized fence surrounding the Detroit Steel Co. brought police to the scene, where they soon took three men into custody who’d been found with copper wire and scrap metal in their SUV.
A security guard called police shortly before 5 a.m. May 8, and said he’d seen a red Chevrolet Suburban parked at Trenton Auto Parts, 462 W. Jefferson, near what appeared to be a fresh hole cut in fencing surrounding the neighboring plant. Responding officers noted the SUV’s door was cracked open and that it contained industrial-size copper wire and other pieces of scrap metal.
Within a half hour police saw two men run from the factory grounds toward the SUV, which had no license plate. The vehicle began driving south before officers made a traffic stop.
Police took three men into custody. According to police reports, during a pat-down search, the officer asked about bulky metal in the man’s pocket. “You already know it’s copper,” the man said.
Three suspects, all in their late 30s, were taken to the police station pending charges of breaking and entering.
Wyandotte
Drunken man flees crash scene
Police arrived at the scene of a hit-and-run about 1 a.m. May 13 to find pizza dough manufacturer’s vehicle with extensive rear-end damage. There was substantial amount of residual debris seen at the intersection of Maple and Third streets.
The driver said he was stopped at the stop sign when a white vehicle struck his vehicle from behind, and the suspect fled east on Maple. The victim said he felt pain in his back which had notably increased after investigation was complete.
The suspect vehicle and its driver were found when officers followed the trail of additional wreckage. The vehicle was parked in the suspect’s driveway. The suspect exited the house to speak with officers and was reportedly “obviously intoxicated” due to his speech, eyes, and balance issues.
The man eventually admitted to the crash but does not recall driving off after accident. He was given a breathalyzer test in the field but his official blood alcohol content was .290, almost four times the legal limit in Michigan. Officers noted the man repeatedly uttered “I F’d up” while being transported to the station.
Riverview
Roommates find windows broken, items missing
Police responding to two claims of theft from vehicles around 6 a.m. May 15 only needed to make one stop. The two victims live in the Pennbrook Place Apartments in the 15000 block of Brookview Drive. Both victims reported an MP3 player, subwooders and an amplifier were stolen from their vehicles. One vehicle was reported to be missing its radio as well. The driver side front window was discovered smashed on one vehicle while the passenger side window was discovered smashed out of the other vehicle. The incidents were believed to occur between 7 p.m. May 14 and the time they were reported. The damage and theft to both vehicles was estimated at $2,500 combined.
Jewelry, tablet computer gone by lunchtime
Police responded to a home invasion about noon May 14 in the 19600 block of Brandywine. The victim said he left his house secured about 6:50 a.m and went home for lunch to find his sliding glass door pried open. Unsure if the intruder was still in the house he called police. Police conducted a search of the house and found it unoccupied, but drawers had been “rifled” through and a jewelry box left open. The man told police the front door was still locked. He said he noticed only the jewelry and a tablet computer missing from the house. He was advised to create a detailed list of items in the house and tell police if more items were found to be missing.
(Compiled by Gabriel Goodwin, James Mitchell and Bob Oliver.)