Allen Park
Drunken driver with multiple license suspensions arrested
A 39-year-old River Rouge man was arrested the evening of Dec. 28 after a traffic stop for an expired license plate revealed that he was operating a motor vehicle while impaired and driving with a suspended license.
The driver, who was traveling north on Park Avenue near Champaign, was driving a tan 1999 Chevy Suburban, with a license plate which expired last March.
After the police officer activated his vehicle’s emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop, the driver abruptly pulled into a driveway in the 7800 block of Park Avenue. The passenger exited the vehicle as the officer approached, claiming his girlfriend lived there. He was ordered back into the vehicle.
The police officer then approached the driver, who stated that his driver’s license was invalid, and said that they did not know the resident at the house at which they had pulled into the driveway, but had done so merely in the hope of avoiding a traffic stop.
The driver was then handcuffed and placed in the back of the police vehicle. A record check revealed that his license had been suspended 12 times, and the vehicle he was driving was uninsured.
The man smelled strongly of intoxicants, and admitted to drinking earlier. He failed multiple field sobriety tests, and refused a preliminary breath test. He was then taken to the police station for booking, while the passenger was given courtesy transportation from the scene of the traffic stop.
The vehicle was impounded and towed. A search revealed an empty bottle of Fireball whiskey under the driver’s front seat.
At the station, the man was read his Chemical Breath Test Rights, after which he consented to a preliminary breath test. He had a blood-alcohol content of 0.19, more than twice the 0.08 limit for legally drunk in Michigan.
He was cited for operating while impaired, driving while his license was suspended, refusing a breath test, no proof of insurance and having an expired license plate.
Guest borrows, then flees with iPhone 11
A woman who invited a man whom she met through social media to her residence in the 15100 block of Hanfor Avenue the night of Dec. 28 likely regretted her hospitality when the man literally ran off with her Apple iPhone 11.
She told responding police officers that the man, a 19-year-old from southwest Detroit, had been at her home for about a half hour when he asked to use her phone to look up the location of the nearest bus stop. However, as soon as she gave him her phone, he exited the front door, ran north on Hanfor and jumped a fence to get to Keppen, where she lost sight of him.
The victim called her cell phone provider to deactivate the phone when police officers arrived on the scene.
She described the man as Hispanic, in his late teens, 5 feet 7 inches tall, and about 150 pounds. He was wearing a black hoodie, white pants and black shoes. Police searched the area, but were unable to locate him.
Dearborn
Starbucks receives threatening phone calls
Police responded to Starbucks, 22155 Michigan Ave., Jan. 1 on a report of threatening phone calls being made to the business.
An employee informed officers that the private phone calls were coming from an anonymous number where the caller stated he was going to beat up all the white employees.
The phone calls have been going on for more than a month and none of the employees know who is calling the business. According to the report, there is no caller identification on the Starbucks phone.
Police advised the employee to contact Starbucks corporate to see if the call could be traced. The employee was also told to contact police if they received any other calls.
Woman causes disturbance at restaurant
Police were dispatched to Xushi Ko, 16351 Ford Road, Jan. 4 after a woman caused a disturbance at the restaurant. The manager also asked for assistance asking the customer to leave.
According to the report, officers spoke with the manager over the phone who explained that he has had several issues with the customer in the past. The manager also said he wanted the woman to leave, excused her bill and wanted her advised on trespassing.
Police were told by the wait staff that the customer was upset with her order and began yelling vulgarities at them before officers arrived.
When police spoke to the woman away from other customers she was advised on the manger’s decision of trespassing and said she understood before leaving without incident.
Dearborn Heights
Customer flees store after using counterfeit $20 bill
An employee of Family Dollar, 23236 Van Born Road, called police to the store Dec. 27 for a fraud report. Once at the store, the manager told officers that at about 4:33 p.m. a man attempted to buy two packs of baby wipes with a counterfeit $20 bill.
The man pulled out a stack of $20 bills and handed the employee one. When the cashier checked the bill by using a counterfeit money detector pen, it was confirmed the bill was fake.
According to the report, the man left the building, leaving behind the counterfeit bill and items he was attempting to purchase.
Security video footage was watched and provided to police.
Vehicles shot by BB gun
Police responded to the 4100 block of McKinley after two vehicles were damaged overnight Jan. 3 to 4.
Two vehicle owners parked their 2018 Jeep Compass and 2017 Chevrolet Equinox in the driveway of the house about 11 p.m. Jan. 3, and when they returned at 1 p.m. Jan. 4 they observed the damage. The rear window of the Equinox was shot by what appeared to be a BB gun, and the rear window of the Compass also had two small holes consistent with BB gun shots.
After inspecting their vehicles, both victims determined nothing was taken and there was no further damage. There was no suspect information or security cameras in the area.
Lincoln Park
Overnight thief smashes car window, steals airbag
A thief broke a car window and stole a steering wheel-mounted airbag, valued at $1,000, between 10 p.m. Dec. 22 and 8 a.m. Dec. 23, from a locked white 2017 Chevy Malibu parked on the street in the 1500 block of Anne Avenue. The victim, a 44-year-old woman, said there were no security cameras in the immediate area which might have captured footage of the crime. There were no suspects.
Red and green not a festive combination for tagged pickup
A red 2017 Dodge Ram pickup tagged overnight with green spray-paint did not leave its owner, a 67-year-old man living in the 1200 block of Pingree, in a very festive mood. The damage covered all sides of the pickup. The vandalism occurred between 10 p.m. Dec. 26 and 9:30 a.m. Dec. 27, for which there were no suspects, nor surveillance footage which might have recorded the crime. The victim was given a report number for his insurance company.
Melvindale
Collection agency pursues local man for ID theft debt
A 25-year-old Melvindale man reported that an out-of-state collection agency was pursuing him for a $490 debt incurred last February through an Illinois health care provider by an identity thief using his Social Security number and date of birth. The man was given information on identity theft, advised to subscribe to a credit monitoring service, and to contact the Social Security Administration so his account can be flagged to detect any future fraud.
Man claiming to let dog into neighbor’s house is suspect in burglary
A 54-year-old man living in the 17100 block of Flora Street said he was leaving his house the afternoon of Jan. 5 when he realized he had forgotten something. When he went back inside his unlocked house, he said his dog was barking, and a former co-worker, a 42-year-old man from a nearby business, was inside his house without permission. When the resident called police officers, the intruder returned to the nearby business.
The suspect said he merely let the man’s barking dog into the house, without entering, but the resident said the suspect was inside his living room. The suspect was taken to the police station for booking and citing for entering without permission before being released on personal recognizance.
Three days later, on Jan. 8, the resident told police that $560 in cash and coins was missing from his house, that he suspects his former coworker and he wishes to press charges.
Riverview
ID thief runs up more than $6,000 in charges
A woman living in the 14000 block of Tall Oaks Drive reported the evening of Dec. 31 that an identity thief used her personal information to charge more than $6,000 in purchases, including $2,366 at Best Buy in Dearborn, $1,352 at Best Buy in Southfield, $767 at JCPenney in Dearborn and $1,759 from Home Depot in Warren.
The Best Buy bill arrived Dec. 2, and the fraudulent account was closed. On Dec. 16, she said she received the JCPenney and Home Depot bills, and those fraudulent accounts were closed as well, and investigations launched.
The victim was provided with an identity theft packet. There were no suspects.
Employee’s car windows smashed at nursing facility
An employee at Rivergate Health Care Center, 14041 Pennsylvania, reported the afternoon of Dec. 19 that four of the windows of her white 2015 Chevy Trax were smashed between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., including the rear window, both passenger side windows and the windshield. It was estimated that it would cost $500 to replace the windows. There were no suspects.
Southgate
Cell phone, wallet stolen from YMCA parking lot
A cell phone and wallet were reported stolen between 10 a.m. and noon Dec. 28 from a woman’s silver 2015 Chrysler 200 while it was parked in the main lot at the YMCA, 16777 Northline. She said when she left the YMCA, she drove to JCPenney, and upon arrival, she noticed the items were missing. She said there was no damage to her car, and no signs of forced entry.
The stolen cell phone, valued at $200, was a Samsung Galaxy S7, while the wallet was a black Michael Kors brand with a $60 value. Missing along with the wallet were $41 in cash, credit cards, a debit card and an identification card.
She was advised to have her cell phone provider deactivate the card, and to advise her financial institutions about the missing credit and debit cards.
Dodge Caravan stolen from front of residence
A green 2003 Dodge Caravan was reported stolen between 4:30 and 10:30 a.m. Dec. 23 from in front of a residence in the 12000 block of Ronda Drive. The victim said she has both sets of keys, and no one else has access to the vehicle. There was no broken glass where it had been parked. The victim said she did not owe any money of the vehicle, which was taken without its keys. The vehicle was subsequently entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen.
Taylor
Diamond earrings, pearl necklace, gold ring stolen from residence
Three sets of 14-karat diamond earrings, two pearl necklaces and a 14-karat gold ring with birthstones on it were stolen the afternoon of Jan. 7 from a woman living in the 9200 block of Merrick Street. The victim said she left her residence from noon to 1:15 p.m., and returned to find the side door kicked in, with severe damage to the door frame.
After police officers cleared the residence, the victim entered the house with them and discovered the jewelry theft from her bedroom. There were no surveillance cameras in the area, and no suspects. A service provider was contacted to board up her broken door until it could be repaired.
School storage shed broken into during holiday break
The principal of Taylor Exemplar Academy, 26727 Goddard Road, reported the afternoon of Jan. 7 that one of the school’s storage sheds was broken into during the holiday break. She said nothing was taken, and the padlock, which appeared to have been pried off the wooden shed door, had already been replaced. There were no suspects.
Trenton
ID thief opens multiple credit card accounts, runs up $12,000 in debt
A woman reported Dec. 30 that an identify thief opened four credit cards in her name and had run up $12,000 in charges. The accounts were opened with Home Depot, Vibe Credit Union, Discover and Sync/Care Credit. She said her financial institution alerted her on Dec. 28 to the possible fraud. A Southfield address through which the accounts had been opened was added to the police report.
Gaming chair package delivery stolen
A package containing an X Rocker X-Pro 300 black pedestal gaming chair with built-in speakers was stolen Dec. 27 from the common area of a condominium building on Harbor Boulevard. A woman said that UPS left the package outside of her building at about 3 p.m., and she brought it into the secure common area lobby until her husband could carry it upstairs later that day. However, by 4 p.m. the package was missing. A resident who was seen taking cardboard to the common dumpster agreed to a search of his condominium, with negative results. A case number was issued, and the resident was advised to contact UPS.
Wyandotte
Disturbed man wailing at the world
A 20-year-old Trenton man was taken into custody in the early morning hours of Jan. 9 from the 3000 block of Biddle, where he was yelling profanities at passing traffic. When police officers asked him to quiet down, his response was unintelligible. He denied drug or alcohol use. He said he had been outside for several hours, and refused transport to a local hospital. The young man then continued to shout obscenities. He was taken into custody for disorderly conduct, and taken to the Wyandotte police station, where he was booked and held. A record check showed he had two outstanding warrants in Wyandotte for traffic violations.
Couple found sleeping in car with drug paraphernalia
Two self-confessed heroin addicts, a 22-year-old Wyandotte man and a 20-year-old Trenton woman, were reported to police officers in the early morning hours of Jan. 5, where they were found sleeping in the back seat of a car at Pine and Fifth streets, with syringes visible in the car.
Police officers awoke the couple, who said they were sleeping in the car because they had been locked out of their parents’ houses. The man, when searched, had paraphernalia used to smoke crack cocaine. Both claimed responsibility for the syringes in the car, which they said they used to inject heroin.
Both were searched, and no contraband was found. Both were cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, and released at the scene.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)