Dearborn
Toddlers found wandering area
Police responded to the area of eastbound Ford Road and Steadman March 14 for two toddler’s found wandering in the area.
The temperature was 38 degrees Fahrenheit when officers made contact with the children, but neither child was wearing a jacket and one was not wearing shoes. The children were located on the south side of Ford Road before one of the mothers arrived and said she and several family members were searching the area for the missing children. She said the children were her son and nephew.
According to the report, the mother said the home on Ternes is a duplex and that her nephew resides in the adjoining unit with his mother, her sister and father. She took custody of both children and returned them home with police following her.
Officers spoke with one of the toddler’s fathers who said he was watching the two boys and heard them go downstairs to the basement which is shared by both units. Both boys had accessed the staircase to go play at the other part of the duplex, but in reality the boys had exited the home through a side door.
All individuals involved were advised to contact the police immediately should something similar happen again in the future. The homes of both toddlers were well-kept and stocked with food and essential items. Police contacted Child Protected Services.
Dearborn Heights
Man reports tires, rims stolen
Police were called to an apartment in the 7000 block of North Inkster Road Feb. 25 after a resident called about four missing tires from his 2019 GMC Acadia.
About 9 p.m. the resident said his vehicle was in perfect condition the night before, but about 10:15 a.m. the next morning he noticed all four tires and rims were missing.
The resident said he did not have suspect information and the apartment complex does not have cameras. Police did not observe any cameras in the complex near the vehicle.
Fraudulent Comcast account opened
A resident told police that his personal information was used to open a Comcast account. The man was made aware of the charge at the end of February when a letter postmarked Jan. 31 arrived from Convergent, a debt collection agency used by Comcast.
When the victim contacted Comcast they stated there was an account opened in Detroit in June 2018 with his information, inducing his Social Security number. The account was used until June 2019 and was in default of $237.20.
Comcast advised the victim that a payment was made on the fraudulent account’s first month of service but no payments were made after and the debt was complied.
The resident stated he did not know the address and did not have any family members or friends who ever lived there. He was advised to make a police report and provide a case number.
Lincoln Park
Woman receives job offer, along with fraudulent check to buy equipment
A 24-year-old Allen Park woman considers herself lucky to have avoided financial loss in a fraudulent job and equipment check scheme. She told police officers March 5 that three days earlier, she received a text from an alleged job recruiter, who said she was eligible for a job, but needed a laptop computer and a separate cell phone to do the work. She was then sent a business check, via FedEx, to deposit and use to purchase the items needed.
The check arrived on March 4, and the woman deposited it; however, the next day her bank told her the check was fraudulent, and from a non-existent company. When the recruiter texted her that day, she told the recruiter that the check bounced, and was subsequently blocked by them. While the woman did not lose any money, she filed a police report as a precaution.
Jeep tires flattened in alley
Three Michelin tires, valued at $800, were flattened overnight on a blue 2012 Jeep Liberty, which was parked in the alley behind a house in the 1600 block of Fort Park Boulevard. The victim, a 69-year-old Allen Park man, said the damage occurred between 6 p.m. March 8 and 10:30 a.m. March 9, with the driver’s side front tire and both back tires flattened. No puncture marks were visible, but all three tires were completely deflated. There were no surveillance cameras in the area which might have captured footage of the vandalism.
Riverview
Early morning vandal shatters glass
Four glass panes of a residential yard light in the 17000 block of Kennebec Street were shattered the morning of March 9 by an unknown vandal, who most likely used the decorative landscaping rocks around its base to do the damage. The resident said he discovered the damage when he saw the broken glass on the ground around the base of light post. The resident said it cost $87 to replace the glass panes.
Southgate
Stranger attempting to access bank account stumped by security questions
A caller from Florida who had a Southgate woman’s full name, date of birth and Social Security number tried to access her bank account remotely the afternoon of March 6 by posing as her over the phone, but was stumped by the security questions the bank posed. The bank immediately called the intended victim, and advised her to file a police report. The woman did not suffer any financial loss from the attempted fraud.
Taylor
Group home van window vandalized a second time
The manager of a group home in the 15500 block of Racho Road reported the morning of March 10 that the rear window of a Dodge Caravan they used to transport members of the group home was shattered for the second time since December. The damage occurred between midnight and 8:30 a.m. while the vehicle was parked in the driveway. There were no surveillance cameras which might have captured footage of the vandalism.
Trenton
Mystery deposits to man’s bank account leave him overdrawn when he reports the transactions
A man who was checking his bank balance online March 5 was puzzled by two unauthorized deposits, for $1,473 and $1,500, from a company in Las Vegas. When he went to his bank later that day, he was given copies of the checks, which were made out to him, but which were deposited without his authorization. The account was frozen, and the money was left in the account. He said the only withdrawals were his, and, as a result of the extra funds in the account, he is now overdrawn if he disregards the mystery deposits. He subsequently opened a new account for himself, and flagged all his accounts for possible fraud alerts.
Wyandotte
Distracted driver’s hit-and-run account doesn’t hold up
A distracted driver who hit three parked cars the evening of March 9 on Quarry, then left the scene, made up a story to excuse the crashes, which subsequently were refuted by an eyewitness and evidence.
The driver, a 22-year-old Wyandotte man, said he was driving north on Quarry when a black sport utility vehicle crossed over the centerline, struck his vehicle, and forced him to veer into three parked cars. His vehicle was heavily damaged on the passenger side as a result. The man said his adrenaline kicked in, and he didn’t pull over until he found a parking spot in the 3900 block of Fort Street.
However, the minor damage on the front driver’s side of the man’s vehicle, where he claims he was hit by the SUV, was inconsistent with his story, and the man’s driver’s side mirror was still intact.
A witness on a nearby porch saw the man’s car collide with the parked vehicles, and saw him drive away in the damaged vehicle. She, however, could neither confirm nor deny the presence of an SUV. A witness who was behind the driver at the time said there was no SUV present at all. He said it appeared as if the man was driving while distracted, which caused him to drift from his lane and hit the parked vehicles.
The driver was then arrested, handcuffed and searched. He denied having any weapons, but a firearm was found in an inside coat pocket. The man’s vehicle was then impounded and towed. He was charged with hit-and-run, and with carrying a concealed weapon. He was booked, fingerprinted, photographed and held.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)