Allen Park
The lure of the 10 cent deposit
When someone alerted a loss prevention officer at Meijer, 3565 Fairlane Drive, to an employee possibly stealing, he began surveying the person. Surveillance revealed the 24-year-old Ecorse man, a bottle attendant at the store, allegedly had embezzled more than $150 by taking bottles that were already processed and sending them back through the bottle return.
The man was confronted by a loss prevention officer on June 26 and subsequently arrested by police. He was held on a $3,000/10 percent cash bond.
Strange things you see on the roadway
Witnesses alerted police June 21, to a man who exited his pickup truck on Allen Road and Garfield, went to another vehicle and punched a passenger in the face. He then got back in his truck and both vehicles drove away, nearly colliding at one point, witnesses said.
Police stopped the pickup truck’s driver, a 49-year-old Allen Park man, in the 5000 block of Allen Road. The victim and her husband drove up to the scene where she identified the man as the one who punched her. The driver was charged with simple assault and arrested.
Dearborn
Tire slashed on vehicle
A resident called police after discovering that a tire on his vehicle had been slashed in the 3400 block of Dudley at 8 a.m. July 6.
The victim told police that his wife had parked his 2000 Chevrolet Blazer in a neighbor’s driveway around 9:30 p.m. on the previous night and that upon exiting his residence to move it in the morning found that the rear drivers side tire was flat and had a large puncture.
When officers arrived the victim had already removed the damaged tire from the vehicle and replaced it with a spare because he had to leave for work.
Officers observed the puncture in the tire and spoke to the victim’s wife, who stated that they did not hear or see anything suspicious overnight.
No suspect information was available.
Woman arrested for retail fraud at Walmart
A woman was arrested was stealing two items from Walmart, 5851 Mercury, just before 3 p.m. July 6.
Police were contacted by loss prevention officers at the store, who stated that they had a shoplifting suspect in custody.
A LPO officer told police that he had been conducting routine video surveillance and observed the suspect walking into the electronics department and selecting several DVDs from a rack.
The woman then exiting the department and walked to a nearby aisle, where she removed the packaging from one of the DVDs and concealed it in her purse.
The woman disposed of the remaining items and walked toward the exit of the store, bypassing all of the sales counters.
LPOs confronted the woman at the store exit and she admitted to trying to take items without paying for them.
The woman also returned a can of baby formula that she had attempted to take without purchasing.
Police officers placed the woman under arrest for retail fraud and handcuffed and searched her before transporting her to the police department.
The woman’s children were turned over to the care of a cousin who came to the store to retrieve them.
Dearborn Heights
Purse stolen from vehicle
Police were dispatched to investigate the theft of a purse from an vehicle in the 2200 block of North Beech Daly just after 12 p.m. July 7.
The victim stated that she had been parked in a public lot and had just returned and tossed her purse onto the front passenger seat before entering the vehicle.
At the same time, an older model Saturn pulled into the next parking space and a woman got out of the vehicle, opened the passenger door of the victim’s vehicle and grabbed the purse from the seat.,
The woman then got back into the Saturn and fled the scene on northbound Beech Daly.
The victim said that the purse, valued around $30, contained her driver’s license, debit card and $40 in cash.
The suspect was described as a white female in her early 40s and was 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed between 130 and 150 pounds.
Police searched the surrounding area but did not find an individual or vehicle matching the suspect description.
Woman assaulted in parking lot
A woman was assaulted and had her purse stolen while loading groceries into her vehicle just before 5 p.m. July 8.
The woman was in the parking lot at her vehicle when an unknown black male driving a blue Ford Taurus pulled up behind her and grabbed the straps to her purse, which was hanging from her shoulder.
After grabbing the purse the suspect began to pull away while the victim tried to fight him off.
The woman fell down after a few feet and released the purse and the suspect sped toward the exit of the store and turned north into the southbound lanes of Telegraph before turning around and leaving the scene.
The woman refused medical attention and told police that she was not injured.
A manager at the neighboring business witnessed the incident and told police that he was able to obtain surveillance footage showing the suspect fleeing the lot.
Lincoln Park
Online seller robbed at gunpoint
A man who’d hoped to sell a Techno X watch valued at $500 through a local sale listing on social media was instead met with a man who with a gun.
According to police reports, a 19-year-old man had listed the watch for sale on the Detroit sell-and-buy Facebook page. A would-be buyer who called himself “Aaron Turner” responded and they agreed to meet at 10 p.m. Sunday, July 6, at Zukin’s Rib Shack, 867 Dix. “Turner” had told the seller falsely that he worked at the restaurant.
The man and two friends of his drove to the store and parked near an alley. They were soon approached by the suspect, a white man who asked about the watch.
The suspect approached the seller’s vehicle, keeping one hand behind his back. He spoke through the passenger side window with the seller. They agreed on the price, and the suspect reached into a back pocket and withdrew a small black handgun which he pointed at the seller.
The seller and his friends described the suspect to store employees, who knew of the man. Police took the description, to include distinctive tattoos, and soon located the suspect in an apartment complex on Hamilton. He was in custody and expected to soon be arraigned on charges of armed robbery
Melvindale
Shiny things missing
Homeowners called police early July 5 when they discovered their house in the 2000 block of Margaret was broken into while they were away the evening before. When they returned to the house, the side door was not completely shut and they found things out of place in the rear bedrooms of the house.
The homeowners reported three gold chains, an engagement ring and cash were among the items missing. Officers said they will let the owners know if the items are recovered.
Convertible with a hole
Fireworks appear to be the culprit for the hole in a 2012 Ford Mustang convertible parked in the 19000 block of Wall Avenue. The owner said neighbors were shooting off fireworks on July 3, and one of them landed on the roof of his car and caused a burn hole.
Officers observed a small hole in the car top and firework paper in the yard and on the roof of the house. Police advised the man to contact his insurance company.
Southgate
TV taken from motel
The manager of Almor Motel, 13206 Dix, notified police on Tuesday that someone had broken into a vacant guest room and took a TV valued at $200.
According to police reports, sometime between 2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday afternoon someone had smashed a window and entered the room. The manager said that other guests had complained about excessive noise sometime around 2 a.m.
Police checked the area for evidence and noted a description of the stolen item.
Pick-pocket sought in store theft
A woman called police to report that her wallet, identification and cash, was stolen while she shopped.
Police responded to Meijer, 16300 Fort, shortly after 2 p.m. Friday, July 4. The woman said she’d been shopping in the spice aisle when a man of average height and build, believed to be Hispanic, placed his hand on her shoulder while asking her for the location of certain spices.
Soon after he left the woman noticed that several items had been taken from her purse, which was unzipped and in her shopping cart.
Police and store detectives obtained a description of the man and are investigating.
Taylor
Neighboring homes burglarized
Police who responded to a woman’s report of a burglary that took place while she slept, discovered there was also a second neighboring home burglarized.
A woman told responding officers that between 2 and 6 a.m. Saturday, July 5 someone broke into her home in the 92000 block of Polk. She’d had trouble sleeping earlier due to fireworks and was sound asleep while one or more burglars took several pieces of jewelry and an undisclosed amount of cash from her bedroom.
Officers checked at the open door and established that no one was inside. The house had also been ransacked, and police began efforts to contact the homeowners to determine what had been stolen.
Police checked both houses for evidence and fingerprints and are investigating.
Suspects sought in post-party burglary
Taylor Police are looking for one or more burglars who looted a home in the 22000 block of Hayes a few days after the owner hosted a holiday party.
Sometime during the day on Friday, July 4 an assortment of electronics and valuables had been stolen. He’d left home at about 6 a.m. and returned at 10 p.m. to discover a broken exterior bedroom window and a ransacked house. Three television sets including a 50-inch flat-screen were missing along with xBox and Nintendo Wii video game systems, an undisclosed amount of cash and assorted jewelry.
The man told police he’d hosted a party earlier in the week and believed that potential burglars may have been in the house. Police checked the rooms for evidence and fingerprints and are investigating.
(Compiled by James Mitchell, Tereasa Nims and Bob Oliver.)