Allen Park
Hit-and-run driver strikes parked car at Thunderbowl Lanes
A woman who was sitting in her car at Thunderbowl Lanes, 4200 Allen Road, at 12:12 a.m. Feb. 27, following participation in her bowling league, said a 58-year-old Detroit woman, who also bowls in the league, backed into her vehicle with her silver Saturn Vue. The woman told the victim that she does not have a valid driver’s license nor car insurance. While the victim called 911, the woman left the scene.
The license plate on the Saturn Vue, which the victim supplied to police officers, was registered to another vehicle. Police officers checked the area, but could not locate the woman. A vehicle crash report was completed.
Broken exhaust pipe on vehicle triggers drunken driving arrest
A 62-year-old Taylor man received his third operating while impaired citation the morning of Feb. 21 near Pelham and Van Born, when police officers noticed an exhaust pipe hanging off the vehicle and dragging along the road. A check of the license plate revealed the vehicle to be uninsured.
A traffic stop was initiated, and the man, who had difficulty talking to officers and following instructions, was asked to exit the vehicle, at which time the police officers noticed that he smelled strongly of intoxicants, and his eyes were glossy. The man admitted to having had seven beers in the past six hours.
His driver’s license was revoked from two prior alcohol offenses. He also admitted that he had no insurance for the vehicle.
Multiple field sobriety tests were conducted, which he failed. A preliminary breath test was administered, and the man had a blood-alcohol content of 0.19, more than twice the 0.08 limit for legally drunk in Michigan.
He was taken to the Allen Park police station, where he was booked, processed and held. A Michigan State Police DNA kit was also administered, and his vehicle was impounded and towed.
Dearborn
Woman defrauded out of $7,200
The resident living in the 6800 block Calhoun told police March 5 that she was defrauded out of $7,200 via email. She said an unknown person emailed her saying that her iCloud account was going to be shut down in 24 hours if she didn’t provide her Social Security number and banking debit card information
She provided both and then $7,200 was taken from her Chase account. iTunes purchases were made with some of the money and the rest of the money was transferred from her savings to her checking account and spent on various things.
When the victim contacted Chase, she was able to change her account information and stop any more transactions. She was advised on credit monitoring and given the report number prior to her departure.
Suspicious men seen looking at vehicles
Police responded to Les Stanford Chevrolet, 21730 Michigan Ave., March 6 after two suspicious men were in the lot looking at vehicles. The two men were described as possibly Hispanic with one wearing a long-sleeve white shirt and black pants, and the other wearing a blue tank top.
Both left the scene prior to police arriving. A check of the lot was conducted with negative results. Officers also checked the building and discovered an unlocked door on the north side, but when entry was made it was confirmed nothing was disturbed.
Dispatch was advised on the information collected by police and the key holder advised that he would not be responding, according to the report.
Dearborn Heights
Women reports feces on vehicle
Police were called to a house in the 7000 block of Plainfield for a vehicle damage complaint Feb. 29. The victim said that about 9 p.m. she observed her Volkswagen Jetta parked in the driveway and blocking the sidewalk, but when she retuned just after 10:30 p.m., there was feces on the rear driver’s side door.
When the victim received security video, she observed a man walking his dog traveling south on Plainfield about 9:45 p.m. in front of the house and put something on the Jetta.
Officers saw the large amount of feces on the door; however, there was no damage to the vehicle. The victim was advised and said she would wash off the feces.
According to the report, the victim said there was a previous incident Feb. 4 involving her BMW 535 that was damaged by feces. She observed an unknown white man, 6 feet and 1 inch tall, approximately 30 to 40 years old, with brown hair, thin build and wearing a dark colored winter jacket walking a dog traveling south on Plainfield in front of the house.
The man went to the BMW, wiped something on her driver side door and handle and when the victim went outside to confront him, the man called her an explicit name and continued south. The vehicle’s keyless feature on the driver’s side door was damaged as a result. The victim said she did not report the Feb. 4 incident because she didn’t believe that it would be reoccurring.
Police reviewed the Feb. 4 and Feb. 29 security camera footage and in the Feb. 29 video the man was seen carrying a light colored bag in his right hand making his way around the Jetta, but when he passed the driveway the bag was not in his hand anymore.
The victim said she did not wish to prosecute.
Ring stolen after delivery
A resident reported that a diamond ring, valued at $599, he ordered online from JCPenney was missing Feb. 26. He said that the ordered was never received, but that it was delivered by FedEx Feb. 20 at his house in the 6500 block of North Waverly.
According to the report, the resident said he didn’t receive the package. There were no security cameras at the house and no suspect information.
Lincoln Park
Designer items stolen from locked car
Designer bags and glasses valued collectively at $845 were reported stolen from a 20-year-old woman’s locked Chevy Malibu in the 600 block of Farnham Avenue. The theft, which was reported the morning of March 3, occurred overnight. The missing items included two bank debit cards, a Michigan identification card, a Michael Kors wallet and diaper bag, a Puma diaper bag, Dolce Giovanna glasses and Burberry sunglasses. There were no surveillance cameras which might have captured footage of the theft.
Identity theft discovered when collection agency comes calling
A 39-year-old Lincoln Park man reported March 3 that he recently discovered he was the victim of identity theft when a collection agency contacted him about a past due account for $742 for a Comcast account taken out in his name. The account was active from March 15, 2016, to May 26, 2016, for a Detroit address. There were no suspects. The victim was given a police report number so he could follow up with Comcast.
Melvindale
The light went out of her life
A 58-year-old woman who was given a motel room overnight because of furnace problems said she suspects someone who was in her basement, in the 2400 block of Oakwood Boulevard, took her magnetic, gold-colored flashlight, valued at $25, which she said was atop the clothes dryer. She said, to her knowledge, the only people who had been in her basement were the firefighters who helped her when the furnace broke down, and her landlord and his son.
License plate sticker tab and single digit cut from vehicle license plate
The last number of a license plate and the sticker tab were cut off the metal license plate attached to a gray 2005 Ford Focus parked in the 2500 block of Norman Street. The victim, a 48-year-old woman, said her car was otherwise undisturbed and locked when she discovered the plate damage. There were no suspects.
Riverview
Identity thief files false change of address with Secretary of State office
A woman was notified by the Michigan Secretary of State that a change of address was requested Jan. 31 in her name. The woman, who lives in the 14000 block of Greentrees, went to a Secretary of State branch to report the discrepancy, and a case was opened with its fraud division. She was given an identity theft packet, and was advised to file a police report, which she did Feb. 21 with the Riverview Police Department. She said she has not experienced any financial loss to date, and to her knowledge, none of her accounts have been breached.
Purse stolen from Rivergate Terrace employee lounge
A designer purse, valued at $60, and its contents were reported stolen from an employee break room the evening of Feb. 24 at Rivergate Terrace Nursing Home. The victim, an Inkster woman, said her identification cards, Social Security card, nursing license, bank card and credit union card were stolen.
She said a coworker’s boyfriend and teenage daughter, who are supposed to wait for her in the lobby, were wandering around the unit unsupervised. He said the man has been hostile to employees in the past, and has a past reputation for theft.
When the employee discovered the loss, she contacted her bank, and discovered that the bank card had been used five times in a half hour, for three $25 transactions and for two $50 transactions. The bank subsequently initiated a fraud investigation.
Southgate
Laptop, cash stolen from locked car
A laptop, valued at $468, and $1,350 in cash were stolen between 10 p.m. March 4 and 2:30 a.m. March 5 from a man’s locked silver 2008 Ford Fusion, which was parked near his apartment building in the 13000 block of Pineview Way. He said he has the only key to the vehicle, and no one else has access to his car. There were no suspects.
Store email alerts man to attempted credit card fraud
An email from Lowe’s on March 3 alerted a Southgate man that a credit card had been opened in his name and a purchase order placed online through a Lowe’s store in Arizona. The attempted purchase was for a $466 vacuum cleaner. The Lowe’s fraud department subsequently canceled the transaction.
The victim said he contacted the credit card company and canceled the account. He said he also contacted the Social Security administration about the fraudulent use of his Social Security number.
Delivery driver damages garage door
A Door Dash delivery driver ran into the garage door of a customer the evening of March 1 in the 11000 block of Morningview, a customer reported. The driver, who left the location prior to the arrival of police officers, responded to a cell phone call, and provided his car insurance information. The cost to repair the garage door damage was unknown at the time of the incident. The resident was provided with a report number for his insurance company.
Taylor
Tires taken
Less than half an hour after an Amazon delivery of two low profile Atlas tires, valued at $335, to a residence in the 5800 block of Hampden Avenue, a Ring doorbell camera captured an image of a thief stealing the tires, and sent an alert to the resident’s cell phone.
The man observed on the Ring surveillance footage was a bald white male in his late 50s, wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. He loaded the stolen tires into an older model gray Ford Escape, which did not have a license plate. The video was forwarded to the investigating police officer.
Breaking and entering at a previously fire-damaged house
The back door of a house in the 14300 block of Racho Road, which had been damaged by a house fire in October 2019, was kicked in sometime during the two weeks preceding March 11, the homeowner said. The doors to a shed in the yard were also ripped open and the locking mechanism was smashed. The woman was unsure if anything was missing from the shed.
The police officer called for backup, and the interior of the house was searched and cleared. Dispatch was notified that a board-up service was needed to secure the residence.
Trenton
Dog abandoned when owner evicted from apartment
An anonymous caller reported at midnight Feb. 22 that a black and white mixed breed male dog was abandoned and tied to a pole near an apartment building on Marie Street, along with discarded furniture, when the animal’s owner was evicted from a nearby apartment building. Police officials waited a few hours to see if the owner would return for the dog. When they did not, the canine was transported to a local animal shelter, where it received food and water while being processed by the animal control officer.
Identity thief creates online Social Security account, changes address
Fraudulent changes to a Social Security account were reported Feb. 24 by a Trenton man, who said he received a letter in the mail Feb. 13 from the Social Security Administration stating that an online account had been created in his name, and another letter on Feb. 21 stating that a change of address, to a Florida location, had been filed for his account. A bank account was also opened with his Social Security number. He reported that the SSA had closed the online account, and corrected his address to his current location.
Parent’s iPad Mini stolen from high school gym during sporting event
A parent attending a wrestling match Feb. 13 at Trenton High School reported Feb. 25 that his iPad Mini went missing between 7 and 9 p.m. from the stands during the match, when he left his seat to take photos of his son with his cell phone. He said he reported the incident to the school resource officer, who said surveillance footage did not have any images of the missing iPad, and the device had not been turned in to the school office. He said on Feb. 17, his wife received an alert that the device had been turned on by an unknown party. The man returned to the police station on Feb. 28 to provide the serial number of the missing iPad.
Wyandotte
Burglar nets Rolex, diamond ring, guns
Two handguns, cash, Coach, Rolex and Finnie watches, a pear-shaped diamond ring and a two-stone ring were stolen the morning of Feb. 24 from a house in the 400 block of Emmons Boulevard. The victim said the items were taken from a closet in her bedroom. She said she had no information on the handguns, which she said had belonged to her mother.
Man asks questions, then steals recommended pain relief creams
A man stole about $63 worth of Blue-Emu Super Strength and Arthritis pain relief cream the afternoon of Feb. 25 from CVS Pharmacy, 2025 Fort St., after asking an employee for product recommendations. The man was described as black, tall, in his mid-40s, and wearing a green hoodie, blue jeans and Timberland boots. The reporting manager did not know if the man left in a car or was on foot.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)