Allen Park
Brazen thief steals guitars from music store
In a brazen daytime theft, a man walked into Allen Park Guitar Store, 23133 Outer Drive, the afternoon of March 16, and left 21 minutes later with a stolen case containing two valuable electric guitars from the previously owned section, where there were no security cameras. Taken were a Gibson Les Paul, valued at $1,350, and a Fender American Elite Telecaster, with a $1,137 value. The thief was described as a black male in his mid-20s, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Store personnel provided the guitar serial numbers, and the instruments were entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen.
Son might have stolen mother’s iPad to cover drug debt
A woman reported the night of March 16 that her 27-year-old son might have stolen her 64 GB, rose gold-colored Apple iPad, valued at $1,000, while she was out of town for four days, to cover a suspected drug debt. She said approximately $200 worth of Polish food, which she prepares and sells, also was missing.
She also said that an unknown man had come to the house earlier that day, in an attempt to collect a $50 debt. The victim was given information to use should she wish to legally evict her son from the residence.
Dearborn
Man stopped for reckless driving
While on patrol in the area of Warren Avenue and Schaefer Road March 13, police observed a black Dodge Ram 1500 disregard the red light while eastbound on Warren. The Dodge then sped up on Warren; police caught up with the vehicle while it was stopped at a red light at Miller Road.
With all lanes of travel on Warren occupied, the Dodge maneuvered from the far right lane to northbound Miller. A traffic stop was conducted on Miller just after 10 p.m. where the driver was identified.
The driver was issued a citation for driving with a suspended license, no proof of insurance and no proof of registration. He was advised on 19th District Court procedures and released on the scene.
Stolen Apple Watch recovered
Police responded to the 4300 block of Charles to retrieve a stolen watch about 7 p.m. March 17. The victim said that workers were fixing his basement and stole his Apple Watch.
He was able to use the Apple location feature to locate the watch in the area of Charles near Lanson. Officers spoke with the workers’ manager who said his worker stole the watch, but felt guilty about it so he gave him the watch to give back.
The manager said the watch was with him but the victim had not picked it up yet. Police retrieved the watch from the manager and returned it to the victim.
Dearborn Heights
Truck window smashed
The victim of a damaged vehicle called police to Citizen’s Bank, 25350 Ford Road, at 10:34 p.m. March 13. Once at the scene, police spoke with the owner of a black Dodge Ram 1500 which was parked in the northeast corner of the lot.
According to the report, the victim parked his Ram at noon, went to work as a tow truck driver, and noticed about 10:30 p.m. that the front passenger window had an impact break but did not shatter. Police observed a brick on the ground next to the passenger side that appeared to have been used to smash the window.
An ATM on the north side of the bank possibly had footage of the incident, but there were no other cameras in the area. The brick was not taken by police since it didn’t have any evidentiary value, the report said.
Electronics, wallet stolen from vehicle
A woman told police her Dodge Ram 1500 was broken into and electronics and a wallet stolen.
The woman said the items — all belonging to her son and valued at $1,650 — included a wallet with driver’s license, debit and credit card, and $100 cash; a black Nike gym backpack; a black Nike school backpack; Beats by Dre headphones; a black pair of Nike gym shoes and a silver Apple laptop.
The woman said her son parked and locked the vehicle in the driveway of her house in the 20100 block of Brookwood about 10 p.m. March 13. About 10:50 a.m. the next day, the woman and her son noticed the items missing. There were no signs of forced entry into the vehicle.
Only the woman had a set of keys for the vehicle, the report said. She informed police that neighbors across the street have security cameras.
Lincoln Park
Wallet stolen overnight from car; credit card used at nearby gas station
A wallet was reported stolen overnight May 20 from a car in the 1300 block of Gregory Avenue. Stolen with the wallet were a Social Security card, credit cards, a driver’s license, the vehicle registration and proof of insurance. One of the credit cards was used at a nearby gas station for a $40 purchase. The victim, 29, was advised to cancel credit cards, and contact each credit card company’s fraud department.
Door locks, ignition on van damaged during unsuccessful hotwiring attempt
The driver and passenger door locks, as well as the ignition, on a 2017 Chevy Express G3 van, were reported damaged the morning of March 23 in a parking lot in the 1300 block of Fort Street. The vehicle owner said that while nothing was stolen from the vehicle, it will cost an estimated $500 to repair the damage. There were no suspects.
Melvindale
Unexplained window knocks cause concern
Unexplained window knocks on the back of a house in the 2500 block of Emogene Avenue, in the early morning hours of March 21, prompted a call to police officers. A man who lived in the house said that when he was at work that morning and his wife was home alone, she heard knocking on the windows at the back of the house, and became frightened. The resident and police officers checked the backyard together, and found nothing amiss. The officers said they would attempt to keep an eye on the area for anything suspicious.
Mysterious tagging in front of residence instills fear
An unexplained paint tagging on the driveway of a house in the 19200 block of Wall Street worried a 20-year-old woman, who said the marking did not look like pre-construction utility markings, and she feared her house might have been targeted for a future break-in. She was advised to contact DTE to rule out the possibility of upcoming utility work, and was reassured that police officers would increase patrols in the area.
Riverview
Chevy Cruze stolen while owner leaves it running during dash into apartment
A woman came to regret leaving her white 2011 Chevy Cruze running and unlocked the evening of March 14 when she ran upstairs to her apartment in the 14000 block of Brookview Drive. The victim said that when she glanced out the window of her apartment, she saw an unknown man enter her vehicle and drive off in it, toward Pennsylvania Road. Because of the vehicle’s tinted windows, she was unable to provide a detailed description of the man.
Stolen along with her vehicle were her purse and wallet, along with her identification, a credit card, her Social Security card, and $400 in cash. She said her Alexa cloud-based voice technology device and a book bag also were in the vehicle.
An alert was issued, and police officers searched the area, to no avail. The vehicle was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen, and the woman was given an identity theft packet to guide her through the process of replacing her bank card and Social Security card.
Identity thief cashes checks, applies for credit cards, driver’s license in victim’s name
A victim began the process of restoring his identity documentation March 18, and turned in a fraud packet to his local police station following a criminal’s attempt to hijack his identity. The victim said his bank informed him that an unknown person had cashed several checks in his name, and had applied for credit cards and a driver’s license using the victim’s identity. The case was referred to the detective bureau.
Southgate
Fire hydrant hit
A damaged fire hydrant, knocked off its pedestal at MJR Theaters, 15651 Trenton Road, was reported the afternoon of March 8 by the theater manager. Firefighters arrived on the scene to assess the damage prior to the police officer’s arrival. Located near the northwest entrance of the parking lot, the hydrant was broken off its base and resting on the sidewalk. Department of Public Works officials were notified to initiate the repair.
Vacationing woman checks home security cameras, finds her vehicle missing
Modern technology and police sleuthing caught up with a man borrowing his sister’s car without permission while she was vacationing in Italy in February. The woman, who later acknowledged her brother had used her vehicle to drop her off at the airport, checked her home security cameras using her cell phone while she was overseas, and was worried when she saw that her white 2019 Ford Escape was not her driveway.
A tracking device showed the vehicle to be in the 13500 block of LaSalle in Detroit. When Detroit police officers investigated, they discovered that the woman’s brother was using the vehicle. The woman declined to press charges, and said she “would deal with the situation when she got home.”
Taylor
Garage break-in costs homeowner damage, extensive property loss
A man whose garage in the 12400 block of Inkster Road was damaged when it was burglarized said he thinks he knows who was behind the theft, but he won’t reveal his suspicions without proof.
Two windows in the back of the garage were broken to gain entry. Stolen were a Samsung 32-inch television, a Craftsman circular saw, a Craftsman radial arm saw, a Stihl air compressor, a Toro snowblower, an M2D generator and a Yamaha Quad all-terrain vehicle. The victim said he estimated it would cost $8,650 to repair the windows and replace the stolen property.
Trenton
Catalytic converter stolen for precious metals
A catalytic converter was reported stolen March 5 from a vehicle parked on Charlton Road. The victim said the theft occurred between 7 p.m. March 1 and 4:30 p.m. March 4 while the vehicle occupied its customary parking spot. She said she had the vehicle towed to a repair shop prior to the police officer’s arrival. The repair facility verified that the catalytic converter had been removed. Catalytic converters are typically stolen for the salvage value of their precious metals.
Unsuccessful vehicle break-in leaves Chevy with pry mark damage
An unsuccessful vehicle break-in on Norwood Drive, which occurred between March 1 and 6, left a 2009 Chevy pickup parked on the residential street with pry marks near the door handle, which was still operational. It did not appear that vehicle entry was achieved. The owner said there was nothing of value in the vehicle at the time. There were no suspects.
Wyandotte
Alleged assault during wedding ceremony reported
A 40-year-old Huron Township woman who said she was physically prevented from entering a wedding ceremony, held at a chapel in the 400 block of Sycamore, by a cousin-in-law on the evening of March 14, filed assault charges against the woman.
The complainant said her cousin-in-law stated she was not welcome at the wedding because of a recent argument. The victim then said she wanted to personally deliver a necklace to a person inside the chapel. The cousin-in-law refused to let her enter, and tried to grab the necklace from her.
A physical struggle ensued, and the complainant later showed a police officer the fingernail marks on her arm, which she alleged her cousin-in-law caused. She said the cousin-in-law also wrapped an arm around her neck while trying to force her from the building, and said the attack caused her serious neck pain. The altercation ended once the woman was forced out of the chapel by the cousin-in-law. The complainant’s husband, an eye witness, corroborated her story.
Drunken driver engaged in road rage incident tries to self-harm when taken into custody
A police officer who encountered two drivers engaged in a possible road rage incident the night of March 16 on Biddle, near the police station, ended up with a drunken driver, who had allegedly crashed into the other vehicle, the pickup following her. The drunken driver, a 30-yer-old woman from Lincoln Park, then proceeded to resist arrest, and later try to strangle herself with her clothing several times while in a holding cell.
The driver of the gray pickup, who was sober, said the woman in the silver Toyota Camry was driving erratically and had crashed into his vehicle earlier, and he was following her to try to get her to stop. The front of her car was heavily damaged, and there was smoke emanating from the engine compartment.
The woman, who smelled strongly of intoxicants, did not respond in a timely or consistent manner to the police officer’s directions. She admitted to being drunk, and initially refused to exit her vehicle. When the officer handcuffed her and placed her in the back of the police vehicle, she started yelling and became combative.
The woman refused to take a preliminary breath test. A record check revealed a prior alcohol violation, and a prior conviction. Her vehicle was towed, and her metal license plate confiscated, and a paper plate issued.
The woman was taken to the police station for booking. Since the woman refused a preliminary breath test, a search warrant was issued to obtain a blood sample.
When the woman was taken to a cell, she shredded a blanket in the cell, then tried to strangle herself with her sweatshirt. She struggled with the police officers, and chemical deterrent spray was needed to deter her combative behavior.
Then, after being returned to her cell, she attempted to strangle herself again, using her lingerie. She was then taken to Henry Ford Hospital Wyandotte for a blood draw.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)