ALLEN PARK
Flood clean up crew cleans out valuables
A cleanup crew sent by a woman’s insurance company ended up allegedly cleaning her out for their own personal gain, a resident in the 14500 block of Anne Avenue said the night of May 6 during a walk-in complaint she filed at the police station.
The woman said that following flood damage to her home on May 1, her insurance company sent a cleanup crew to her address at 11:30 a.m. May 2, which worked until 4:30 p.m. in her basement, hauling debris to her curb.
The woman said one of the men on the work crew tried to keep her distracted upstairs, telling her it was unsafe for her to go into her basement, and tried to prevent her from seeing cleanup crew members loading items into their work truck.
After they left her house, she discovered they had taken a container full of undamaged Coach and Michael Kors purses, valued at $1,500, and another container of DVDs and a DVD player, which were undamaged, with an estimated $100 value.
The woman said she notified the contact person with the work crew, but he denied that his workers stole her undamaged property.
Cinco de Mayo celebration leads to crash, drunken driving arrest
A two-vehicle crash at Southfield Road and Roosevelt Avenue the night of May 5 resulted in a 36-year-old Brownstown Township woman’s arrest for operating while impaired, driving on a suspended license, driving without insurance and disregarding traffic signals.
The woman, who had front end damage to her vehicle, smelled of intoxicants, and told the responding police officer she was returning home from Detroit, where she had attended a Cinco de Mayo celebration, and admitted to drinking an undisclosed amount of alcohol.
The woman, who was asked to exit the car, was unsteady on her feet, and leaned on the police vehicle for balance. She agreed to field sobriety tests, which she failed.
A preliminary breath test was administered, and the woman had a blood-alcohol content of 0.269, more than three times the 0.08 limit for legally drunk in Michigan.
The woman was arrested for operating while impaired, and was handcuffed and placed in the back of the police car. The officers then learned that the woman’s driver’s license was also suspended.
Both vehicles were impounded and towed. The other driver was cited for not having proof of insurance.
DEARBORN
Possible vehicle larceny reported by employee
Police responded to Little Caesars, 3853 Monroe, April 22 after an employee reported that two unknown people lifted a car door handle in the parking lot.
The employee said that the pair did not enter the vehicle because it was locked. She also said they earlier made a mess in the store and argued with her over the mess.
She told police the two left westbound on Dartmouth after lifting the door handle, and that a third person with the pair left eastbound on Dartmouth but did not lift car door handles.
Police made contract with the third person who said he and the two others argued with the employee about making a mess in the store. He added that one of the two lifted the handle on the vehicle believing it was his because he drives a white sedan, which was parked nearby in the same parking lot.
The third person told police that when the man realized it wasn’t his vehicle he located his and left with the other person.
Purse found in CVS/pharmacy
A resident turned in a black Calvin Klein purse at the police station April 23 after finding it at CVS/pharmacy, 15325 Michigan Ave.
The resident said he was shopping at the store when he saw the purse unattended. The purse contained credit cards and driver’s license belonging to a woman.
After police made several unsuccessful to contact the woman, the purse was marked, tagged and placed into the evidence cage as found property.
Man arrested for reckless driving
Police watched two Dodge Challengers westbound on Warren Avenue approach Greenfield Road and enter the left turn lane just after midnight May 7.
When the signal turned green for eastbound and westbound Warren traffic, one Challenger — black with white stripes —accelerated south on Greenfield road. The vehicle did not yield to moving oncoming traffic on eastbound Warren and almost caused a crash in the wet road conditions. The Challenger continued speeding south on Greenfield before officers caught up to the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop near Paul Street.
The driver said he was driving to a mosque with his four passengers and that they were late. Police arrested the driver for reckless driving and placed him under a $500 bond at the Dearborn Police Department.
The four passengers received rides from the scene because the vehicle was impounded.
MSP find loaded rifle in van
Jeffery Prather, 57, of Dearborn was pulled over by Michigan State Police in Charlton Township when a loaded rifle was found in his Ford Transit van on May 12.
A MSP trooper saw Prather’s van traveling slow while shining green and amber lights into a field about 11:20 p.m. in the area of Fairgrieve and Dagon roads. He was initially pulled over for violating the shining regulation because shining is allowed until 11 p.m. during this time of year, according to MSP.
Prather told the trooper that he was visiting his cabin in the area during the traffic stop. A search of the van revealed a loaded .22 magnum riffle in the center console.
Along with the rifle, ammunition also was found and seized.
Following his arrest, Prather was jailed in the Otsego County Jail and was arraigned in the 87th District Court for possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle and using artificial lighting while in possession of a loaded firearm.
DEARBORN HEIGHTS
Parents alerted about stranger danger at elementary school
A letter was sent to the parents of Highview Elementary School students and the Crestwood Schools District informing them that a stranger danger was reported May 3.
In the letter dated May 6, Crestwood Schools Director of Student Services Menhem Aouad wrote that about 4 p.m. May 3 a Highview student was walking home but returned a few minutes later to tell school personnel that she thought a stranger was trying to talk to her near Richardson and Robindale streets.
“Because of the student’s young age, she provided a very limited description of the vehicle and its male occupants,” the letter read. “This stranger was in a black or brown vehicle, possibly an SUV. The student was one short street away from the school. She sought help from an older student and her mother who were walking nearby. With their supervision she returned to the school and we notified the police.”
Police are investigating the report and the student’s family and principal have spoken with responding officers. According to the letter, patrols were increased in the neighborhood, especially around school’s bell times.
Aouad encouraged parents and students to remain vigilant and observant of their areas and surroundings. “As always, students are encouraged to walk to and from school with adults,” the letter read. “Suspicious activities should be immediately reported to local law enforcement. We live in a safety-focused community and your help is essential.”
Resident reports tools stolen from shed
A man living in the 500 block of North Charlesworth reported that tools were missing from his shed after it was broken into April 28. The man said the shed was open and the padlock on the shed was unlocked.
According to the report, an ice auger, a saw, handheld hammer drill, gas-powered weed trimmer and self propelled lawnmower were stolen.
The man told police he last saw the missing items in the shed April 24.
Police advised the man to visit local pawn shops or check online to see if his stolen items are being re-sold.
License plate taken off vehicle
Police were dispatched to a house in the 25000 block of Hopkins Street May 1 after a woman reported her license plate stolen. The woman told police that the last time she saw the license plate on the Dodge Journey was April 3.
She said her boyfriend took her to a bus stop at 8 a.m., drove the vehicle to work in Taylor, visited a friend and returned home at 3 p.m. in the vehicle.
According to the report, the woman returned home at 6:30 p.m. and saw the license plate was missing. She told police she would be open to prosecuting the thieves if they were found.
LINCOLN PARK
Grandmother’s red Dodge Charger stolen from driveway
A 2017 red Dodge Charger was reported was stolen between 1:15 and 4:30 a.m. May 9 from the driveway of a residence in the 1500 block of Merrill Avenue. Broken glass, which was likely from the driver’s side window, was found in the driveway.
The reporting party, a 23-year-old woman, said she was the primary driver, but her 61-year-old grandmother was the legal owner. She said she had both sets of keys and was up-to-date on the payments. There was no surveillance video available. The vehicle was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen.
Newly poured sidewalk vandalized before cement dries
A man who had recently purchased a house in the 1800 block of O’Connor Avenue, which he and his brother were rehabilitating, discovered May 13 that the newly poured sidewalk, for which he paid $1,900, was extensively vandalized before the cement was dry.
The words “Bok Gang,” “Aaden,” “AA,” and “CA” were scratched into the cement, which also had human and dog footprints, as well as a 16-foot-long, 1-inch wide and a quarter-inch deep line gouged across the length of the sidewalk. There were no suspects for the “welcome to the neighborhood” line of demarcation.
MELVINDALE
Lake Orion woman’s debit card skimmed, used at Melvindale ATM
A 67-year-old Lake Orion Township woman’s debit card was skimmed at a Rochester ATM location which she frequents, then fraudulently used the afternoon of May 11 at the Alliance Catholic Credit Union ATM location in Melvindale. Two men separately approached the ATM, covered the security camera with their hand, and removed a total of $200 from the account. The men also used a Dearborn ATM location fraudulently.
Fired employee uses boss’ credit card for living expenses
A 28-year-old Taylor man, who was fired on April 9 by his employer, continued to take advantage of the employer’s generosity and used a company credit card to pay for his living expenses.
The owner of a Melvindale business said she let the 28-year-old employee use her company credit card on April 1 to purchase gasoline. However, in the next month he charged apartment rent for two months, in excess of $1,700, and approximately $300 in two separate Comcast transactions to her business credit card. The woman said she wished to press charges for his fraudulent use of the company credit card.
RIVERVIEW
Motorcycle stolen
A blue and white 2001 Suzuki motorcycle was reported stolen May 10 from the parking lot of King’s Forest Apartments, in the 19000 block of Fort Street. The victim said he typically parks the motorcycle near the side of his apartment building. He said he owns the motorcycle free and clear, has the keys and there is no lien against it. The apartment complex management denied having the motorcycle towed. There were no suspects.
Party store smash-and-grab nets $30 cash, causes $1,100 in damage
George’s Party Store, 13826 Sibley, had a breaking-and-entering alarm triggered at 3:15 a.m. May 5 when the front door glass was shattered. An intruder then broke the cash register and took the coin drawer, which held about $30 in coins. Two other registers and the store safe were undisturbed.
The owner said his employees are all family members, and none of them were likely to have broken into and burglarized the store.
Surveillance video shows a white male, dressed in black, wearing a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, and wearing gloves. He was wearing a backpack, and appears to have used a crowbar to break the door glass to gain access to the store. A crowbar was left behind at the scene. During a police search of the area, several loose $1 bills were found lying on the ground at a nearby apartment complex.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)