Allen Park
Homeless man said he wanted to get clean
A 48-year-old Taylor man who said he was homeless was cited for retail fraud the night of Nov. 18 after he shoplifted personal hygiene products from Meijer, 3565 Fairlane Drive.
Stolen were shaving cream, deodorant, Axe gel, body spray, a Fusion razor, and two hand towels, with a $31.24 total value. After he was stopped for questioning near Meijer by police officers, the man, who was riding a bicycle, said that he did pay for the food in his bag, but could not afford to pay for his toiletries, which were found inside his coat pocket. The man’s identity was verified by loss prevention personnel. He was then cited and released on the scene.
Broke man steals briefs
A 31-year-old Lincoln Park man was cited for retail fraud the night of Nov. 17 after he was detained by loss prevention personnel at Target, 3100 Fairlane Drive, for attempting to steal six pairs of underwear briefs, a callus removal kit and a package of disposable lighters.
The man, who was surveilled by loss prevention personnel, said he took the items because he did not have the means to pay for them. He was taken to the police station for booking, then released on bond.
Dearborn
Woman transported to hospital, advised on trespassing
Police responded to First Presbyterian Church, 600 N. Brady St., Nov. 14 where an employee said a woman had been sitting on the bench inside the bathroom since 1 a.m.
The call to police was made just after 7 a.m. after the woman refused to leave after being asked to leave several times by employees. According to the report, police spoke with the woman who said she had pain in her lower back and thigh area that was making it difficult for her to stand on her feet. She also said her energy was spiritually drained.
Dearborn emergency responders were called to the church and transported the woman to Beaumont Hospital-Dearborn. She was advised on trespassing at the church by police.
Police arrest man for refusing to pay taxi cab fare
A cab driver called police to Rite Aid, 5650 Schaefer Road, Nov. 10 after a passenger did not pay his taxi cab fare.
Police were told that the passenger was picked up in Detroit and requested a ride to Schaefer and Ford roads. When the cab driver arrived at the destination, the passenger became increasingly belligerent and upset, stating he wanted to go to Schaefer and Fort Street. The cab driver then tried to explain the they just had a little further to go, but the passenger got out of the cab and refused to pay the fare.
Police made contact with the passenger where they detected a strong odor of intoxicants on his breath, his speech slurred, his eyes red and glassy, and his gait unsteady. The passenger said he was coming from a concert in Detroit and needed a cab to get home.
According to the report, the passenger was uncooperative and difficult to understand. When the cab driver offered the passenger another opportunity to pay the cab fare and go home, the passenger refused and said he would punch the cab driver if he saw him again and that he would rather go to jail than to pay.
The passenger was arrested for defrauding an innkeeper and placed under a $200 bond. He had a .22 blood alcohol level, almost three times the .08 legal limit in Michigan.
Bond was posted and the passenger was advised to contact the court within three to 14 days.
Dearborn Heights
48 fraudulent transactions reported by resident
The victim of fraudulent charges filed a report at the Dearborn Heights Justice Center, 25637 Michigan Ave. Nov. 11.
When she arrived home Nov. 7 to her apartment in the 6900 block of North Inkster Road from the hospital and rehab, she went through her mail and checked her bank statements. She discovered 48 unauthorized charges totaling $722.72 made between Sept. 28 and Nov. 11 for Lyft rides in San Francisco. The victim said she had possession of her debit card the entire time, she was unsure how her information was compromised, and that she rarely checks her checking account.
The victim filed a police report after she advised her bank of the fraudulent activity.
Police dispatched on attempted break-in
A man living in an apartment in the 27000 block of West Canfield Drive reported an attempted break-in on Nov. 13.
When the man was in the bathroom he heard the locks being played with and the chain lock engaged on the door. According to the report, the door opened but the resident pushed it back, closing it. He looked through the peep hole and saw a man leaving the hallway. The intruder was described as a younger black male wearing an all black jogging suit with a black winter hat and black shoes.
The resident said he did not know who the intruder was but has seen him in the apartment complex and around the area before. Police informed the resident to contact them if the man returned to the apartment complex in the future and advised not to engage the man.
Lincoln Park
Ford Focus stolen
A black 2012 Ford Focus belonging to a 23-year-old woman was stolen the afternoon of Nov. 9 from the parking lot of her apartment building in the 12000 block of Fort Street. An iPad belonging to her employer, which was in the vehicle, was also stolen.
There was no broken glass on the ground near where the vehicle had been parked, and the woman said she was uncertain whether or not the vehicle had been locked. She said she was up to date on her car payments. The landlord verified that there were no surveillance cameras in the area.
An alert to law enforcement personnel was issued for the vehicle, which was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen.
Restaurant van theft revealed on surveillance video
The images of two men who stole a white 1999 Ford Econoline van belonging to Tijuana’s Mexican Kitchen, 1679 Dix, the morning of Nov. 6, were captured on surveillance video and provided to police.
The footage shows two men walking north on Dix Highway, then cross the restaurant parking lot at 6:25 a.m. Nov. 6, and approach the van on the passenger door side. Upon gaining entry to the van, one of the men, who was wearing a plaid jacket, dark pants and a dark winter hat, entered the driver’s seat. He and his accomplice, who was wearing a dark coat and dark pants, then left the scene.
The van was locked, and a small piece of metal from the door latch was recovered from where the van had been parked. A restaurant employee said the van, which belonged to the business owner, was paid off, and the keys were still in the owner’s possession.
Restaurant employees who viewed the surveillance video did not recognize the men in the video. Restaurant personnel said they would develop a list of the items that were stolen with the van, and forward it to the police officers.
Melvindale
Driver who ignored stop sign flees traffic stop
Police officers terminated a potentially high-speed chase the evening of Nov. 18 when a man who failed to yield to a stop sign fled in his vehicle instead of obeying a traffic stop initiated by a fully marked police vehicle, with engaged emergency lights and sirens.
The police officers, who were on stationary patrol on the north side of Roycroft Avenue, east of Henry Street, saw a dark-colored 4-door sedan, traveling west on Roycroft, disobey the stop sign, before turning south on Henry.
When the police officers engaged the patrol vehicle’s lights and sirens, the driver accelerated, traveling south on Henry Street at a high rate of speed. The sedan then turned right onto westbound Outer Drive, entered Allen Park, and turned north onto Enterprise Drive, which is near an on ramp to eastbound I-94.
Due to the speed of the vehicle and traffic congestion, officers terminated pursuit. The police vehicle dash cam did not capture a vehicle license plate number.
Warren man tries to cash fraudulent check he said he received for selling shoes
An 18-year-old Warren man was prevented from cashing a fraudulent payroll check, for $599, from a Southfield temporary staffing agency on the morning of Nov. 18 at Glenos Market, 2955 Oakwood Blvd.
The store owner said he became immediately suspicious because he had been presented with a payroll check the day before, from the same company, by another person, and upon checking, the store owner discovered that the check was fraudulent. A manager with the staffing agency confirmed that the payroll check being presented by the Warren man was fraudulent.
The man trying to cash the check said he had accepted it as payment from a person who bought a pair of Air Jordan shoes from him through an online marketplace transaction. The man said he had worked for the staffing agency named on the check for one day last summer.
The man agreed to go to the police station to make a formal statement. Afterward, he was released without being charged, pending further investigation.
Riverview
License plate larceny
A license plate from a red 2018 Toyota RAV4 was reported stolen the afternoon of Nov. 13 by a woman living in the 20000 block of Fort Street. She said she had last seen the license plate the night before, when she left a restaurant in Taylor. She said her son noticed that afternoon that the license plate was missing. There were no suspects. The plate was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen.
Fraudulent check sent to woman with instructions to buy gift cards
When a woman received a check in the mail Nov. 12 for $1,950, from a credit union in New York, instead of depositing it, buying $1,600 gift cards and texting the gift card numbers to the sender, she wisely filed a police report.
The woman said she thinks she was targeted as the result of a job offer sent to her via email, which she was led to believe was from an online university with which she is taking courses. She said she would supply police officers with copies of the texts and emails. She also provided a copy of the check and envelope.
Southgate
Tires slashed
The slashing of the two front tires of a cream-colored 2009 Chrysler 3000 was reported the afternoon of Nov. 1 by a resident living in the 14000 block of Countryview Drive.
The man said his son had brought the damage to his attention. Both tires received a 1-inch wide cut to the sidewall, causing them to deflate. The vehicle owner said he had no suspects in mind, and needed a police report for his insurance company.
Credit and debit cards compromised
Purchases of $464 worth of gift cards at CVS and Lowe’s, which were fraudulently charged to the victim’s credit and debit cards, were reported the morning of Nov. 13 by a woman living in the 13000 block of Castle Street.
The victim said she discovered the charges when reviewing her bank statements. She said she had always been in possession of her credit and debit cards. The charges were incurred on Oct. 14 and 23, and Nov. 4 and 7, and store representatives said they were used to buy gift cards. The woman said she has since cancelled both bank cards.
Taylor
Vehicle ransacked; purses and contents taken
Purses containing an iPad, camera, work identification and other miscellaneous items were reported stolen from a white 2016 Nissan Altima overnight on the afternoon of Nov. 25 by a woman living in the 26000 block of First Street.
She said the interior of the vehicle, which may have been unlocked, was ransacked. There were no signs of forced entry. She said the vehicle was parked outside her resident when it was gone through. She said she did not have any surveillance cameras. There were no suspects.
Ford Fusion stolen along with woman’s identity documents
A gray 2018 Ford Fusion, along with a woman’s purse, Social Security card and birth certificate, were stolen between 9 p.m. Nov. 24 and 7:57 a.m. Nov. 25 from the parking lot near her apartment in the 15900 block of Spring Village Boulevard.
The victim said her vehicle was locked, but there was an extra set of keys in the vehicle. She said she was up to date on payments, and no one else has permission to drive her vehicle. She said the stolen purse was a black Steve Madden purse with a red interior. There were no suspects.
Trenton
Vehicles vandalized on Marian Drive
Two vehicles were recently vandalized while parked on Marian Drive.
The afternoon of Nov. 16, a resident reported $1,200 in hood and bumper damage to a 2014 Chevrolet Equinox, which appeared to have been struck by a blunt object as opposed to another vehicle. There were no suspects.
On the morning of Nov. 18, a Ford Fusion parked on Marian Drive was also reported vandalized, with a large dent on the front driver’s side door. As before, there were no suspects.
Package tampered with, items missing
A package delivered to Blossom Road in Trenton Nov. 8 was retrieved from the porch by its intended recipient as soon as it arrived, but it was found to have been slit open and re-taped, with part of the order stolen in transit.
The victim, who reported the theft on Nov. 17, said a customer service representative from the supplier urged her to wait until subsequent packages arrived, to see if the missing items were in later shipments. However, the missing items, 11 items of clothing from JCPenney, valued at $100, were never received.
Shipping receipts and UPS tracking information were included with the police report.
Wyandotte
Substance-abusing man transported to hospital after frightening resident
A man who was screaming, singing and pounding on her front door the night of Nov. 1 prompted a woman to call police officers to her residence in the 1100 block of 22nd Street.
The man was dressed only in a pair of shorts, and was incoherent. Police officers noticed that his arm veins were bulging, his eyes were rolling back into his head, and he was unable to answer questions or respond to police officers. He appeared to be heavily impaired by an unknown substance.
The man was taken to Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, where his step-sister was contacted, and able to provide background about the man. She said his past substance use had been limited to marijuana.
The man was turned over to the custody of the hospital staff for further treatment and evaluation.
Multiple catalytic converters stolen
Four catalytic converters were reported stolen on Nov. 9 and 10 by separate victims.
The first catalytic converter theft was reported the afternoon of Nov. 9 from the 600 block of Chestnut, from a Ford Econoline van.
The second, reported the afternoon of Nov. 9 in the 500 block of Chestnut, was stolen from a Mercury Mariner parked in the victim’s driveway.
The third catalytic converter, which was reported stolen the morning of Nov. 10 from the 2600 block of Biddle, from a van parked in a handicapped spot, said a neighbor had seen people from a white Ford Crown Victoria near the van earlier that morning.
The fourth catalytic converter theft, reported the afternoon of Nov. 10, occurred in the 100 block of First Street. There were no surveillance cameras in the area.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)