Allen Park
Neighbor caught on surveillance video damaging senior’s lawn
A neighbor whom a senior citizen had taken to court in the past for relief against grievances was caught on surveillance video deliberately damaging the 86-year-old man’s lawn. The recurring vandalism, which happened in the 14700 block of Morris Avenue, was videotaped the afternoon of Feb. 12, as the woman pulled into her driveway, then deliberately reversed three to four feet onto the man’s lawn, then accelerated forward, damaging the grass, before returning to her driveway.
When questioned by police officers, the woman said her vehicle slipped on snow, which was not present on the driveway. She also claimed that a child living next door yelled at her, which was disproven by the surveillance video.
She was issued a citation for damage to property, based on the evidence which indicated that there was probable cause that the damage was deliberate.
Woman creates a distraction while her partner shoplifts
A woman created a distraction the evening of Feb. 11 at DXL Big and Tall men’s clothing store, 3480 Fairlane Drive, while her partner successfully shoplifted $124 worth of clothing.
The store manager said two heavy-set black women entered the store at about 7:30 p.m. One woman had blonde hair and was wearing a yellow winter hat, while the other had long black hair and was wearing a black coat. They split up, with one going to the footwear section, while the other went to the shirt section.
The blonde woman selected a pair of Ralph Lauren socks, valued at $26, and attempted to conceal them inside her coat.
The woman with the dark hair then confronted the employee who was watching the suspected shoplifter, and angrily asked why the employee was watching the blonde woman. As the confrontation created a diversion, the blonde woman went to the shirt section and selected a $98 white, short-sleeved Ralph Lauren polo shirt, which she also concealed under her coat.
Both women then exited the store, with the blonde woman stealing the concealed items. They were later seen leaving the area in a dark colored vehicle.
Store surveillance video verified the store manager’s account of the shoplifting and the distraction, and a copy of the footage was forwarded to the police detective bureau.
Dearborn
Battery stolen at O’Reilly Auto Parts
Police responded to O’Reilly Auto Parts, 5120 Schaefer Road, after a man stole a Super Start car battery valued at $139.99 Feb. 11.
An employee told officers that he was helping a customer at the front desk when he saw the man enter the store. The man walked over to the shelf full of the car batteries, then walked down the back isle and toward the front of the store carrying an item. The employee looked over at the shelf of car batteries and noticed one of the slots on the shelf was empty, according to the report.
As the man exited the store with the battery he was asked by the employee if he was going to pay for it, but the man continued out of the store and left in an unknown direction.
The employee said the store did not have interior or exterior cameras that could have captured the theft. He was provided with the case report number and advised on followup procedures.
The thief was described as a black male, between 30 to 35 years old with a tear drop tattoo near one of his eyes, and wearing an olive drab jacket, gray shirt and blue jeans
Customer advised on trespassing at gas station
Police were called to Shell, 2740 Monroe, Feb. 13 on a report of customer trouble. The customer said he asked the gas station employee for a lottery invoice, but was refused and a verbal argument commenced.
According to the report, the employee said the customer entered the gas station demanding a lottery invoice. When the employee informed the customer he could not give him the
invoice due to the fact that its business classified information, the customer began to yell.
The employee said he warned the customer advised on trespassing, which police did and the customer left without incident.
Dearborn Heights
Wallet containing credit cards stolen from vehicle
A resident living in the 24500 block of Rouge River Drive told police his wallet was stolen Feb. 4.
Police were told that the man’s Ford F-150 was parked in his driveway overnight, unlocked, and when he returned in the morning he found it ransacked. The only item stolen was the man’s blue wallet which contained his driver’s license and credit cards which he had canceled.
There was no suspect information or security cameras nearby.
Man defrauded out of $9,500
The victim of gift card fraud totaling $9,500 informed police Feb. 17 that he received a phone call Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. from an individual claiming to be from Microsoft.
Next, the individual said he accidentally deposited $10,000 in the man’s checking account and that the man would go to jail if he didn’t reimburse the money. The caller told the man to purchase Nordstrom gift cards in the value of $9,500 to reimburse him. While the victim was on the phone with the caller, he went to Somerset Collection in Troy and purchased the gift cards in $500 increments.
After the purchases were made, the victim provided the account number and access numbers from all the cards to the caller. The caller then advised the victim to shred the gift cards and disconnected the call.
According to the report, police were provided the phone numbers, and the Nordstrom gift cards were placed into evidence.
Lincoln Park
Identity thief opens bank accounts in woman’s maiden name
Two bank accounts were opened Jan. 21, in a woman’s maiden name, at a bank at which she has no prior nor current accounts. She said she discovered the identity theft Feb. 14, when she received paperwork in the mail from the bank.
Per the bank, no money was deposited nor transferred into either account. The financial institution froze the accounts, and provided police officers with the Kansas phone number and the email address associated with the accounts.
Regal ransacked overnight; neighbor finds, returns wallet
Two iPhone chargers and a wallet, which was later recovered, were reported stolen overnight on the morning of Feb. 11, from an unlocked white 2016 Buick Regal parked in the 1800 block of Russell Avenue. The victim, a 38-year-old woman, said the wallet contained her identification, a Bridge card and credit cards.
While the police officer was still on the scene, a 19-year-old man living on Lafayette Boulevard pulled up with her wallet, which he said he found on the ground near his residence. The contents appeared to be intact. He said he did not see any cell phone chargers.
Melvindale
Potential renter threatens landlord for not returning deposit
A landlord filed a police report the night of Feb. 3 after a man for whom he would not return a rental deposit threatened that he would “never be able to rent that house to anyone again.”
The landlord said the potential renter, a 24-year-old Allen Park man, showed interest in renting a house he owns in the 18800 block of Prospect Street. He said he wanted to discuss the rental with his girlfriend, and agreed to place a $500 deposit on the rental unit.
However, the man texted him the next day, claiming he was in a car accident, and needed $450 of the $500 deposit back, which he would later pay back. Then man then called, and the landlord said he was very angry that he couldn’t get his deposit back, at which time he made his verbal threats. The landlord said he wanted to document the man’s threats with police officers as a precaution.
Illicit comments to minors result in senior’s banishment from business
A 75-year-old man’s inappropriate sexual comments to underage male employees at Las Cazuelas Grill, 4122 Oakwood Blvd., the afternoon of Feb. 2 resulted in his being banned from the restaurant.
The manager said the man frequents the business at least twice a day, and has made lewd comments to the minor male workers, and has suggested they accompany him to his residence. When the police officers asked the man to step outside to talk to them, the man admitted to the lascivious language, but said he thought the employees were above the age of consent. He was then advised that he was no longer welcome at the business, and should he return, he could be arrested for trespassing.
Riverview
Youth sports association victim of embezzlement
A complaint alleging embezzlement was recently filed by the Riverview Junior Football Association, with an investigation recently begun and in the preliminary stages. The case has been turned over to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, a warrant recommendation was approved and a warrant was authorized by a district court judge. Further details may be released after an arraignment.
Southgate
Debit card thief leaves a trail of attempted gas station purchases
A Southgate woman whose debit card was stolen at noon Feb. 9 in Taylor told a Southgate police officer she flagged down that the thief had attempted to use her debit card unsuccessfully to buy gasoline that afternoon at two different Southgate gas stations: Sunoco at Eureka and Allen roads, and Marathon at Dix-Toledo and Eureka roads. She said the transactions were denied because she had promptly canceled the card.
She was advised to file a police report in Taylor, since that was where the crime originated. She asked Southgate police officials to document the illegal attempts to use her debit card in Southgate as well.
Auto shelled – a fowl crime
Shattered eggs were smeared across a blue 2011 Chrysler 200 the morning of Feb. 9 in the 12000 block of Walnut Street, where it was parked overnight in a residential driveway. He said the vehicle was free of fragments shortly after midnight, but the windshield and passenger side door were discovered fouled by morning. There were no suspects.
Taylor
Dodge Durango with tools, child seats stolen from Southland Mall parking lot
A 2002 green Dodge Durango was stolen the evening of Feb. 13 from a parking lot near Forever 21 at Southland Mall, 23000 Eureka Road. The victim, who said he was inside the mall for about 30 minutes, said his unlocked vehicle was missing when he returned to the parking lot. He said he had the vehicle keys with him, and there were no spare keys in the vehicle.
Stolen along with the vehicle were $600 worth of tools, which were in the trunk; two child car seats, which were in the back seat; and a diaper bag containing his child’s legal documents.
He said the Durango has noticeable dents on both the front and rear bumpers.
A Southland Mall security employee said the mall has no security cameras in the parking lot which might have captured footage of the theft. The vehicle was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen.
Trenton
Debit card fraudulently used for dozens of transactions
Two dozen fraudulent purchases, totaling $610, were charged to a woman’s debit card without the card leaving her possession. The victim, who filed a police report Feb. 10, said she is the only person with physical access to the debit card. She said she had already gone to her bank and cancelled the card. She submitted a bank statement with the fraudulent transactions marked. There were no suspects.
Fries fuel fire
Trenton police officers were first on the scene of a residential kitchen fire the afternoon of Feb. 8 at a residence on Concord Street. The homeowner, who assured police officers that no one else was in the house, said he had left some fries unattended on the stove while he stepped away to turn on the television, and when he returned to the kitchen, it was in flames. The police officers then relinquished the scene to the arriving firefighters.
Wyandotte
Con artists warning of cell phone account fraud are the real criminals
A con artist purporting to warn a 45-year-old Wyandotte woman of suspicious activity on her account the night of Jan. 10 instead stole the victim’s personal information before deactivating her cell phone. They then purchased additional cell phones and charged them to her account. Lastly, they accessed her bank account at a branch office and withdrew $1,000, which they received in the form of a cashier’s check.
The victim was advised to contact her credit card companies and the credit reporting bureaus.
GPS causes woman to ‘make tracks’
A 29-year-old Taylor woman following GPS directions, while driving south on Second Street at Alkali Avenue the night of Jan. 9, turned too soon, and became stuck on the westbound railroad tracks.
A nearby police officer, who saw the events unfold, quickly came to her aid, and had Downriver Dispatch immediately stop train traffic headed her way. A tow truck then removed the Chevy Traverse from it precarious perch without any damage to the vehicle.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)