Allen Park
Woman loses money left in self-checkout machine
A woman reported the afternoon of May 14 that she accidentally left $40 at a self-checkout machine at Target, 3100 Fairlane Drive. When she realized her mistake, she contacted store management, who checked their surveillance feed, and determined that the next person to use the machine took the extra cash. The store employee told her that if she filed a police report, the store would reimburse her for the loss.
Dearborn
Man arrested for drag racing
While on patrol at the intersection of Ford Road at Chase May 13, police heard a vehicle reviving its engine from in front to their patrol vehicle.
As the traffic light turned green, a 2008 black Chrysler 300C in the right-center lane and another black sedan in the left-center lane quickly accelerated.
Police pulled alongside the 300C eastbound on Ford Road to Horger as it traveled side-by-side with the vehicle, reaching a speed of 72 mph in a 40 mph zone.
Just before a traffic stop was conducted, the unknown black vehicle used the center median crossover to head west on Ford Road, according to the police report.
A traffic stop was conducted on Ford Road at Schaefer Road where police made contract with the 300C driver and passenger. Police informed the driver that he was observed drag racing, to which the driver replied, “Right. I did it.”
When asked what made him decide to drag race the other vehicle the driver replied, “Dude pulled up on the side of me and told me to hit it! So I hit it a little bit.”
Police interrupted the driver and reminded him that he was paced at 72 mph in a 40 mph zone to which he responded, “No, that was the first time under the tunnel that I hit it a little bit. We stopped at the light and we hit it again, then we started shifting and you know.”
The driver was arrested for drag racing and placed under a $500 bond.
Dearborn Heights
Fraudulent cell phone bill reported to police
A Dearborn man reported that a fraudulent Verizon Wireless phone account was opened in his name on April 22 without his permission.
The man told police May 7 that Verizon informed him on May 1 that a phone line had been opened in his name, but at his mother’s address in Dearborn Heights.
Verizon sent the resident a letter with an account number and date the line was opened. The resident told Verizon he was not the person who opened the account.
$800 wallet, perfume bottles stolen from center console
A woman reported the theft of her $800 Louis Vuitton wallet, $50 in cash and three perfume bottles from her vehicle overnight.
She told police May 24 that her vehicle was parked in front of her house in the 24000 block of Currier at 11 p.m. May 22. The following morning when she was leaving for work, the woman said that her center console and glove box had been ransacked. Besides the missing items listed, no other damage was done to the vehicle.
The woman said she wasn’t sure if she had locked it. She was advised to secure her vehicle and make sure it is locked in the future.
Lincoln Park
Repeat thief steals pressure cooker, vacuum, steaks
A man known as a repeat thief at area Meijer stores escaped the afternoon of May 15 from the store at 3710 Dix with a Shark ION 2X Duoclean Cordless Vacuum, valued at $300, two NuWave 8-quart pressure cookers, valued at $240, and $109 in ribeye steaks.
A loss control employee said he recognized the man from a bulletin of known offenders at that Meijer and other store locations. After watching the man on surveillance video, he said he went out on the store floor to continue his surveillance.
The man the took his cart of merchandise, left the store without paying for any items, loaded the stolen items into his vehicle and drove south on Dix.
The store employee described the man as white, in his 40s, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 1 inch tall, wearing a green ball cap, turquoise short sleeve polo shirt, khaki cargo shorts and brown, opened toed sandals.
His vehicle was a late model Chrysler Town & Country minivan. The loss prevention employee provided police with a partial plate number. He further indicated that surveillance images of the man would be provided to police officers.
Melvindale
Vehicle hit-and-run with light pole
A light pole in the 17900 block of Allen Road was reported down and damaged about 8:30 a.m. May 19, in the parking lot of Mel Bar & Grill, 17993 Allen Road. Police officers noticed a tire mark near the pole, as well as a plastic wheel well, fog light housing, turn signal housing and a part of a red bumper, which were retained as possible evidence.
A DTE worker driving by stopped and said she noticed the pole down two hours earlier. Dearborn Fire Department personnel placed caution tape around the downed pole, and both DTE and city Department of Public Works personnel were notified of the damage.
Riverview
License plate larceny
A man living in the 17000 block of Kennebec reported the evening of April 24 that the license plate was missing from his 2009 Ford F-150 pickup. The man said he last remembered seeing the license plate two days earlier at the city boat launch. Since that time, he said he had taken his truck to two Southgate stores, Meijer and Harbor Freight Tools. The plate was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network and the Secretary of State system as stolen.
Southgate
Ford Fusion stolen from driveway
A woman living in the 14000 block of Poplar reported May 19 that her 2006 black Ford Fusion was stolen from her driveway between 6 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. that day. She said she parked it at about 2 a.m. earlier that morning when she got home from work. She said she has the car keys in her possession. The vehicle was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen.
Taylor
Pre-paid debit card fraudulently accessed; rent money stolen
A fast food worker whose checks are automatically deposited to a pre-paid debit card reported May 10 that an unknown person in Highland Park withdrew more than $300 from her account, and had changed the PIN. She said she canceled the card and ordered a replacement.
Trenton
Collection agency call alerts man to fraudulent AT&T account
A man reported the afternoon of May 17 that an AT&T account had been fraudulently opened in his name. He said a collection agency called about an unpaid bill with a $403.69 balance. The account was opened in June 2018 and closed in September for a Detroit address. The man was given a fraud packet to complete to get the liability removed from his name. He was also given an identity theft packet.
Wyandotte
Notorious namesake
A 34-year-old Dearborn Heights man who had jumped into the Detroit River fully dressed, near Oak and Van Elstyne, ostensibly for a swim, at 8:51 p.m. June 2 was arrested for providing police with an inaccurate version of his name, which prevented him from initially being identified using the Law Enforcement Information Network.
The man, who had already exited the river on his own accord before police arrived, identified himself to police officers several times using the Americanized version on his first name, possibly since his legal first name is associated with a notorious Middle Eastern dictator. The man said his driver’s license was not in his possession.
When it finally occurred to the man to provide his legal first name, he was identified in LEIN. When a police officer said he would be cited for provided false identification to the police, he became angry, and threatened to jump into the river again for another swim. When the man did not calm down, he was handcuffed and placed in the rear of the squad car. He was then taken to the police station, where he was searched, booked, fingerprinted and held.
Riding a rail
Police officers electronically subdued and removed a drunken 25-year-old Wyandotte man from the railroad tracks near Poplar and Sixth streets at 1:09 a.m. June 3 where he tried to commit suicide by lying on the railroad tracks in a fetal position while two nearby women, his mother and sister, screamed as a train whistle sounded in the distance from an unknown track.
The man, who smelled strongly of alcohol, said he had recently learned that a child whom he thought was his son was not his, and he wanted to die. As two police officers heard a train whistle in the distance, and tried unsuccessfully to remove the man from the tracks, he continued to resist, and became physically aggressive with the police officers.
Following repeated warnings, with which the man did not comply, he was electronically subdued, after which the police officers were able to move him off the railroad tracks and away from the imminent threat of harm. When the train reached the location, it passed by on another set of railroad tracks.
The police officers removed the electronic probes, and the man was taken to Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, where his mother signed commitment paperwork to have him treated for mental illness. Once at the hospital, the man thanked the police officers for saving his life.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)