Allen Park
Thief steals valuables from vehicle warming up
A thief stole $2,000 worth of property the morning of Jan. 27 from an unlocked Mercury while it was warming up in a driveway in the 15800 block of Beatrice Avenue. Stolen were a Pandora bracelet with 17 charms, valued at $1,500; six pocket knives, with a cumulative value of $400; and a backpack with work keys and supplies, with a $100 value. There were no nearby surveillance cameras which might have captured footage of the theft.
Neighbor reports thieves burglarizing foreclosed home; suspects caught, jailed
Police officers apprehended two men burglarizing a foreclosed home in the 15100 block of Anne Avenue the night of Feb. 1 thanks to an alert neighbor.
The suspects, a 53-year-old Ecorse man and a 41-year-old Taylor man, were seen by a neighbor searching the interior of the house and loading items into the bed of a nearby pickup. When police officers arrived, the men provided identification and complied with officers, and claimed they had permission to remove items from the house, which had been vacant due to foreclosure since August, but their claims could not be verified.
The men said the house had been unlocked. However, police officers found evidence of forced entry through a garage door.
Both men were searched, handcuffed and taken to the police station for booking. During booking, one of the men was found to be in possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia. The men were held without bond.
Dearborn
Man transported to hospital after wellness check
A man living in an apartment building in the 3300 block of Wiscasset called police Feb. 6 after he heard his neighbor in the lower apartment fall and yell for help.
The man said his neighbor, a senior citizen, lives by himself so he feared the man fell down and couldn’t get back up. When he knocked on the door there was no response.
Police were unable to make contact with the neighbor at the door so they decided to force entry into the apartment based on information provided by the resident.
According to the report, the man was found in his bathroom. He said that he had fallen on the bathroom floor and was unable to get back up on his feet. The man also appeared to be confused, the report said. After it was determined that the man needed further medical evaluation he was transported to Beaumont Hospital-Dearborn.
Police re-secured the apartment door.
Disoriented man reported at business
Police were dispatched to CheckSmart, 136 N. Telegraph Road, Jan. 31 to assist the Fire Department with a man sitting in the lobby who appeared to be disoriented.
An employee said the man had been sitting in the lobby for about 20 minutes. When the man was asked questions he responded to all of them with “no,” according to the report. After obtaining his name, the man was transported to Beaumont Hospital-Dearborn.
He was possibly intoxicated or under the influence.
Dearborn Heights
Purse, cash stolen from vehicle
A resident reported that her purse was missing from her vehicle Jan. 30.
According to the report, the woman parked her Honda Accord on Lamphere Jan. 29 and then went out on a date one block away from her house. When she returned at 7 a.m. she discovered her purse that contained her identification, Social Security card, pain medication, $100 in cash, sunglasses and debit card were stolen.
The woman said her vehicle was locked, she didn’t know how the thief entered her vehicle, and that there was no forced entry. There was no suspect information.
Woman reports identify fraud
The victim of identify fraud who lives in the 6100 block of Kingsbury informed police Jan. 27 that for the previous month she has been receiving emails from several companies regarding credit cards and accounts being opened in her name.
A Macy’s American Express account showed a balance of $1,305.91, a Sears Mastercard showed a balance of $1,636.78, and a JCPenney card showed a balance of $805.39. The opening of Sprint wireless and American Express accounts were attempted but not approved. A $206.91 order with Montgomery Ward which was not processed.
According to the report, the victim said she contacted all of the companies involved to advise them of fraudulent activity and put a freeze on her credit reports.
The victim was advised by her bank to file a police report.
Lincoln Park
Snow and shovel disappear
Two young men who shoveled snow for a 75-year-old woman living in the 1500 block of Ferris Avenue on Feb. 6 made the snow disappear – and her shovel, as well. The woman said the men were white, in their early 20s, wearing dark clothing and bright yellow caps. She said the missing snow shovel, valued at $40, had a yellow blade and a black handle. Police officers checked the area, but were unable to locate the men.
Lost wallet claimed by opportunist
A 33-year-old man who left his wallet inside AAA Fuels, 3860 Dix Ave. Feb. 9, when he went inside to pay for his gasoline, returned several minutes later when he realized his wallet was missing, only to have another customer say she found the wallet, and another man claimed it.
The opportunistic thief was described as a black male with a light complexion, in his early 30s, 6 feet 2 inches tall, and muscular, with tattoos on both arms, short black hair and a black beard. He was driving a dark gray Dodge Ram, possibly a 2008 model, with tinted windows.
The victim said the wallet contained his driver’s license and Social Security card.
Melvindale
Missing driver’s license used by identity thief triggers court summons
A 34-year-old woman who said she lost her driver’s license in November, but failed to report it, said Feb. 3 that someone fraudulently using her driver’s license received a traffic ticket, for which she was being summoned to court for non-payment. A police officer provided her with information about how to protect herself against further identity theft.
Southgate
Hacking scheme takes man for more than $2,000
A fraudulent computer warranty service company convinced a man by phone on Feb. 6 to pay for three years of computer monitoring and fixes, which was really a scheme to log into his computer and steal his identity and financial information.
After charging the man’s credit card for $400 for three years of computer monitoring services, the caller tricked the victim into purchasing $2,000 in Best Buy gift cards to facilitate a refund of the original $400, which he claimed was paid with “the wrong type of credit card” for the contracted maintenance service.
The man then allowed the caller to log onto his computer before he went to Best Buy to purchase the gift cards, after which he provided the caller with the gift card numbers and codes.
When the victim arrived home, he discovered he was locked out of his computer. The caller insisted he was not log out, and the man began to realize he was being scammed, and he disconnected his computer.
When he returned to the store where he bought the gift cards, he learned that $1,964 of the $2,000 had been used to purchase two iPhone 11 cell phones.
The man then filed a police report, and provided copies of the paper trail.
Pup-napping poses potential peril
A 5-month-old brown golden doodle puppy, who was running free within its own yard Feb. 8, may have narrowly escaped pup-napping in the 14000 block of Trenton Road, where a resident noticed a stranger trying to lure the dog into his vehicle, which was parked on the street with the door open. The resident gave police officers a description of the vehicle and the suspicious person, as well as a license plate number. Police officers checked the area, to no avail.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)