Allen Park
Home Depot Employee steals money, gift cards
A cashier at Home Depot, 3163 Fairlane Drive, a 20-year-old Melvindale woman, was taken into custody the afternoon of July 2 for embezzlement. Between April 21 and June 27 the woman allegedly took $1,500 worth of cash and gift cards. Store personnel provided the dates and amounts of cash register shortages and surveillance video evidence. She was taken into custody, booked at the Allen Park police station, then taken to the Dearborn police station and housed.
Habitual drunken driver goes wrong way on Southfield
A 64-year-old Belleville man with six prior arrests for operating while impaired was taken into custody at 1:49 a.m. July 9 when he turned north into the southbound lanes of Southfield Road from Allen Road. An officer on patrol spotted the man, in a gold 2004 Kia, and activated his police vehicle overhead lights while in the northbound lanes of Southfield Road, and was able to stop the man at the Southfield Road turn-around lane near Enterprise Drive.
The man had a strong odor of alcoholic intoxicants. He said he had been at a bar, where he had five beers and some shots. He did not remember the name of the bar, and did not know what city he was in. His speech was slurred, and when he exited his car, he had trouble maintaining his balance.
The man failed field sobriety tests. A preliminary breath test was administered, and the man had a blood-alcohol content of 0.20, two-and-a-half times the 0.08 limit for legally drunk in Michigan.
He was taken to the Allen Park police station for booking, then taken to the Dearborn police station to be housed.
Dearborn
PT Cruiser stolen overnight
Police responded to a house in the 15300 block of Tireman July 3 after a resident reported a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser missing.
The man told officers he was test driving the vehicle and kept it overnight before he planned to return it to Pronto Auto Sales, 7500 Greenfield Road.
According to the report, the resident left his credit card, Social Security card, green card and work visa inside the vehicle.
The credit card was used for a transaction at a gas station at the intersection of Greenfield and Plymouth roads in Detroit on July 2.
Dearborn Heights
BMX bike, wagon reported missing
A resident in the 4600 block of Clippert reported a BMX bike and wagon missing from his backyard July 9.
Police arrived at the house about 11:45 a.m. the following day when the resident said the bike and wagon were in the backyard on July 9.
When he went outside about 11 a.m. the next morning, he noticed that both items were missing from the backyard.
There is no suspect information.
Lincoln Park
Subway door, window glass damaged by failed intruder
An employee of Subway, 3009 Fort St., reported the morning of June 21 that the west-facing main entrance door and a nearby window were damaged in an unsuccessful burglary attempt the night before.
Surveillance video shows a person walking from Detroit Avenue to south on Fort Street at 2:52 a.m. The person, of indeterminate race, was wearing a white hoodie with the hood raised, and pants of an unknown color. At 2:53 a.m., the person struck the door and window of the Subway store with an unknown object. They were unable to gain entrance to the store, and left, running north on Fort Street toward Detroit Avenue. The surveillance video did not provide a clear description of the person.
The damage to the window was $500, with $1,000 in damage to the door. There was no evidence left at the scene.
License plates stolen
A 43-year-old woman in the 600 block of Emmons reported the theft of a license plate the afternoon of June 22 from her 2003 red Ford Ranger. The theft was discovered by her 22-year-old son.
A 46-year-old woman in the 800 block of Lincoln reported the theft of a license plate the afternoon of June 24 from her 2009 Chevy Malibu, which was parked on Wilson.
Melvindale
City pool bike rack poles removed, stolen
The city pool supervisor reported July 11 that 24 bike rack poles were removed from a rack near the pool and stolen overnight. He said five poles had been stolen the week before. One pole was found in the nearby grass. The value of the missing metal was unknown. There were no suspects.
Melvindale Pharmacy attempted burglary unsuccessful
A surveillance video shows that about 1 a.m. July 8, a newer model white Chevy Tahoe or GMC Yukon backed up to the south entrance of Melvindale Pharmacy, 18287 Allen Road, with two people using bolt cutters to try to remove a padlocked chain securing the store door, while a third person remained near the vehicle.
The store was closed at the time. The morning of July 9, an employee discovered a padlock at the front entrance to the store broken off, and another padlock broken but still attached to the chain.
The responding officer found no sign of forced entry, and the reporting employee said no inventory was missing from the store.
Riverview
Twix taken from liquor store
An employee at Frank’s Liquor City, 13827 Pennsylvania Road, reported at 10:30 p.m. June 30 that a man stole two packages of king-size Twix candy bars, valued at $2 per package.
The clerk described the thief as a black male in his late teens or early 20s, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 170 pounds, with short black hair. He was wearing a black hoodie, a white shirt, gray shorts and red shoes.
He was accompanied by a second man, who did not steal anything, described as black, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 170 pounds, with long black dreadlocks, and wearing a blue long sleeve shirt, black shorts and blue shoes.
Surveillance video was provided to police officers.
Red Bull burglar
A red-haired, tattooed woman stole a Red Bull energy drink, which retails for $3.79, at 7:34 p.m. June 19 from Frank’s Liquor City, 13827 Pennsylvania Road.
The reporting clerk said the woman, in her late 30s, and about 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall, went to the Red Bull cooler, asked the clerk the price, and removed two Red Bulls. She put one in her purse, and attempted to pay for just one drink. When confronted about the drink in her purse, the woman denied it, and said she had to go to her car to get some money. She left one Red Bull in the store, and walked out with one allegedly in her purse.
She drove off in a blue, newer model Chrysler 200. The clerk gave the responding police officer the license plate number.
Southgate
Enterprise Rent-A-Car building window broken
Just before midnight July 7, police officers were dispatched to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 15810 Eureka Road, on the report of an alarm and broken window. Officers found a 6-foot-by-6-foot window, on the southeast side, valued at $600, broken. A rock was found beneath the window.
Officers visually checked the building to ensure no one was inside, and found the building to be vacant. Dispatch called the business key holder to secure the building.
Unlocked car with keys inside stolen with child seat, gifts, purse
A 2010 red Ford Escape was reported stolen between 11 p.m. July 13 and 7:15 a.m. July 14 from the 12000 block of Irene Street. The vehicle was unlocked, with the keys inside. Taken with the car was a $200 child car seat, approximately $100 in gifts, and a woman’s purse with two debit cards and other items.
Taylor
Purse stolen from running, unlocked car
A woman reported her purse stolen from her unlocked car the afternoon of July 17 from a parking lot of a business in the 12700 block of Allen Road. The woman said she left her vehicle running and unlocked while she went into a business for less than five minutes, and when she drove away, a door chime notified her that the right front vehicle door was ajar. She then discovered that her purse was missing.
The medium-sized red purse contained a black and white wallet, $75 cash, a driver’s license, medical insurance cards and credit cards. A pink iPhone 6 was also in the purse, along with a pair of prescription sunglasses, regular prescription glasses and a check book. She canceled her credit cards and notified her bank.
Handgun, tools stolen from garage
A man in the 14000 block of Interview Drive reported the afternoon of July 16 that he discovered at 10 a.m. that his garage had been broken into through an unlocked back window. A black Phoenix Raven handgun was stolen, along with two mountain bikes, a battery jump box, a large radio and assorted tools.
The man told the responding police officer that a flashlight left on a counter was not his, and it was taken into evidence to be checked for prints.
The stolen handgun was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.
Trenton
Woman victim of identity theft con
A woman reported the morning of July 12 that she was tricked by an email scam pretending to be from Paypal, which stated her account had been breached by an unknown device, and asked her to follow a link and re-secure her account by entering her birth date, phone numbers, a Social Security number and bank account information. She said after she called Paypal, she learned that she was the victim of identity theft.
The woman said she forwarded the emails to a verified Paypal official, contacted Life Lock, and placed an alert on all of her accounts.
Van bearing stolen license plate stopped
Police officers on patrol initiated a traffic stop the afternoon of July 11 on northbound Fort Street north of King Road when the license plate on a silver 2005 Town and Country Minivan was confirmed as stolen out of Detroit.
The driver of the vehicle said he knew the plate was stolen, and he said he did not have a valid driver’s license. He said a cousin stole the plate for him so he could drive the vehicle, which he bought a few weeks ago, until he was able to register it.
The man was arrested for driving on a suspended license, possession of stolen property and other outstanding warrants. He was booked, fingerprinted and housed in a cell, and his vehicle was impounded.
Wyandotte
Cash stolen from Street Art Fair vendor by employee
A Street Art Fair vendor reported the evening of July 12 that an employee, a 42-year-old New Boston woman, stole at least one, and possibly several, $100 bills from the cash box. When questioned by police, the woman admitted to taking one $100 bill. She was arrested, booked and held at the police station.
Street Art Fair vendor’s backpack, keys, truck stolen
Street Fair vendors, a father and son from Grand Rapids, were robbed twice the evening of July 12, first when a backpack was stolen from their booth, then again when keys from the backpack were used to burglarize their vehicle.
When the thieves rifled their vehicle, they took $600 in cash, 30 20-milligram Adderall pills and a wallet with $150 cash, credit cards, a driver’s license and a concealed pistol license. The wallet was later tossed on a nearby lawn, minus its cash.
Three suspects were seen near the backpack shortly before it went missing. They were described as black men in their late teens or early 20s, with dreadlocks and wearing long shorts.
The vendors had to contact someone in Grand Rapids to bring them an extra set of vehicle keys.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)