Allen Park
Drunken driver almost strikes police car
A 37-year-old Wyandotte man blew through a stop sign on the Southfield Freeway service drive near Outer Drive the night of June 9, and narrowly missed hitting a fully marked police vehicle.
A traffic stop was initiated, and the police officer noticed that the driver’s eyes were glassy and his speech was slurred. He was unable to provide proof of insurance, and a run of his license plate indicated that his vehicle was uninsured.
He failed some of his field sobriety tests, so a preliminary breath test was administered. The man had a blood-alcohol content of 0.223, nearly three times the 0.08 limit for legally drunk in Michigan.
His female passenger was given a courtesy ride to her home in Dearborn Heights, while the man was arrested and taken to the Allen Park police station, where he was held. The vehicle was impounded and towed.
Driver with road rage exceeds 100 mph on Southfield Freeway
A 27-year-old Southgate man was clocked going 103 mph in a 55-mph zone by a police officer the morning of June 11, while northbound on the Southfield Freeway near Outer Drive.
When the driver, who was in the left lane, in a white Jeep Grand Cherokee, saw the police vehicle’s flashing lights, he cut across all three traffic lanes to get to the right, without checking to see if traffic was clear, and stopped his vehicle on an angle, partially blocking the Southfield Freeway merge lane from Outer Drive.
The driver began shouting incoherently at the police officer while waving his arms. As the police officer tried to instruct the man to drive to the right shoulder of the road, a second vehicle approached, and tried to shout a message to the police officer. They were requested to pull over as well.
The speeding driver in the first vehicle initially claimed that the other driver tried to run him off the road, and he was trying to get his license plate number. However, his story was inconsistent with the fact that he ahead of the second vehicle.
The second vehicle’s driver said the first man was driving 20 mph on Southfield Road near Allen Road earlier, and when he tried to pass the vehicle, the driver became upset, sped up, and tried to prevent the second vehicle from passing him. The second driver’s teenage son corroborated the story.
The reckless driver then admitted that he reacted inappropriately to the situation. His vehicle was impounded and towed. He was cited for reckless driving and given a courtesy ride home.
Dearborn
Merchandise recovered after attempted larceny
Police responded to Home Depot, 5951 Mercury Drive, June 13 for a larceny.
The Loss Prevention Officer said she observed a man near the receiving door at the rear of the store. According to the report, the man placed two four-packs of Defiant doorknobs and one 100-foot extension cord with a total value of $162.91 under a large overhead door, staging it to be picked up from the outside.
The man paid for other merchandise and attempted to leave the store without payment for the unpaid items of $162.91. When the he was stopped, LPO recovered the merchandise.
Police were told that the man was cooperative and provided his debit card and bridge card with his name on it, but said he did not have his identification. He continued to cooperate until the LPO told him she had to call police, at which time he began to leave the store.
The LPO said it is the store’s policy not to forcefully hold onto suspects so the man was allowed to leave. He exited and entered a white GMC Savana cargo van which drove away toward Paul Street.
A copy of the security video was requested by police, which the LPO said she would bring to the station at a later time.
Resident reports suspicious man in backyard
A resident living in the 720 block of Highview called police at 11 p.m. June 13 regarding a possible breaking and entering at his house.
Police spoke with the resident who said after reviewing video footage from his Ring camera, he obscured an unknown man in his backyard about 6:10 p.m. There are cameras at the front door and back door of the house, but only the back door activated because motion was detected.
The video at the back door was blocked by the man’s hand and a short time later the footage jumps to the man with his back turned away from the camera leaving the backyard on a bicycle. According to the report, there was nothing missing from the backyard, garage, or house and no signs indicating a breaking and entering took place. There was also no suspect information.
The resident said he believes his neighbors may have cameras that possibly captured the man, but due to the time of night police did not disturb the neighbors.
Dearborn Heights
Catalytic converter stolen from vehicle
A resident reported her vehicle’s catalytic converter stolen.
The resident said the part was possibly taken from her black Honda CR-V between June 4 and 6. According to the report, the last time she drove her vehicle was at 9 p.m. June 4 and when she went to start the Honda at 11:30 a.m. June 6 the exhaust was loud. When the resident checked underneath the vehicle, she saw that the catalytic converter was cut off.
There was no suspect information or evidence.
Victim reports fraudulent T-Mobile account
Police received a phone call from a victim of fraud May 30 after a T-Mobile account was opened and closed in her name.
The victim noticed her identity was compromised when she was checking her credit score about 5 p.m. that day. Someone had opened an account with the phone carrier on Jan. 1 which had built up an outstanding balance of $4,986 and then closed it on May 2. The account was sent to collections.
According to the report, the victim’s Social Security number was used to open the account. the victim said she hasn’t had a T-Mobile account in years and indicated that she notified Experian which advised her to make a police report.
Lincoln Park
Fraudulent unemployment claim filed in man’s name
A 37-year-old Lincoln Park man reported June 3 that he received a letter in the mail which indicated that someone had fraudulently filed an unemployment claim on May 26 in his name. The claim, backdated to May 8, was for $160 a week.
The victim did not know if any checks had been mailed to the identity thief. He was advised to contact the unemployment office, put a flag on his credit file and to follow up with police officers if he received any additional information about the fraud.
Vandal tries to steal locked bicycle by sawing through deck support
A thief tried, but was unable to steal a bicycle chained to several wooden deck support columns at a doctor’s office in the 3700 block of Fort Street.
The office manager said that one deck support was sawed off between 5 p.m. June 3 and 8 a.m. June 4, but the bicycle, a burgundy Schwinn model, was still chained to several other supports. She said the bicycle’s owner was unknown, and added that there were no surveillance cameras in the area.
She was advised that if the business owner decided to remove the bicycle chain with bolt cutters, they could file a found property report, and police officers would take possession of the bicycle.
Melvindale
Reckless minibike rider warned
A man popping wheelies and recklessly riding a noisy minibike, at a high rate of speed, the afternoon of June 16, on Flint Avenue near Oakwood Boulevard, received a stern warning by a police officer to stop what he was doing and walk the minibike home. The wannabe stunt rider complied and quietly left the scene.
Taurus versus tanker: Driver blocks truck that ran stop sign
The driver of a Ford Taurus, who blocked a tanker truck that was trying to turn onto Fisher Street from South Wabash Street the morning of June 17, said she saw the driver of the tanker truck run a stop sign, and she was concerned that the driver was endangering the neighborhood’s children.
The tanker driver was advised to drive more carefully and heed the neighborhood stop signs. The concerned car driver was advised to call police officers if the unsafe situation continued.
Riverview
Obscenity scratched onto car panel
In an incident of car vandalism unrelated to similar crimes committed a week earlier, the owner of a red 2016 Ford Focus reported the morning of June 2 that an obscenity was scratched into the paint on the passenger side of his car. He said the damage, which will likely cost $1,000 to repair, occurred after midnight.
Porch package thief may be on surveillance footage
Two packages were stolen between 12:30 and 1 p.m. June 4, from a porch in the 17000 block of Ray Street, and the victim said a neighbor’s surveillance camera may have captured footage of the theft.
The packages included an Amazon shipment valued at $60, and a $50 shipment from Kohl’s.
Southgate
Items stolen from pickup in hotel parking lot
The driver’s side rear passenger window was smashed on a white Ford F-450 pickup, and the GPS system and prescription reading glasses were stolen out of the cab overnight while the vehicle was parked at Comfort Suites, 18950 Northline Road.
The report, made the morning of June 9, indicated that the thief also tried unsuccessfully to pry open a toolbox door.
There were no fingerprints or evidence left at the scene, and no surveillance video footage of the hotel parking lot.
Bumper fascia stolen from Ford Fusion
The lower front bumper fascia of a white 2011 Ford Fusion was stolen in the early morning hours June 10 from the parking lot of an apartment building in the 13000 block of Parkview Drive.
The clips were taken along with the bumper, which appears to have been taken without first being accidentally damaged. The fog light wires were snipped as well.
Taylor
Cadillac windows shattered by bullet
A bullet which struck the driver’s side window of a parked 2016 Cadillac XTS the night of June 17 traveled through the car and damaged, but did not penetrate, the passenger side window. A bullet was found on the passenger side seat.
The victim said she had parked the car on the east side of an industrial building at 21100 Trolley Industrial Drive at 9 p.m., and returned to her vehicle at 11:30 p.m., discovering the damaged windows.
The victim said she had issues with a former employee three months ago, but could not think of anyone who would be motivated to vandalize her vehicle.
Employees recall hearing a fireworks-like sound about 9:45 p.m. There were no surveillance cameras in the parking lot.
Catalytic converter cut off car overnight
A catalytic converter was reported stolen the morning of June 17 from a 2004 Honda CR-V, which was parked near an apartment building in the 9400 block of East Pickwick Circle.
The victim said the car sounded different when it was started up that morning. Metal was discovered on the ground near where the part was removed from the vehicle.
There were no surveillance cameras in the area which might have captured footage of the theft.
Trenton
Workers near railroad tracks may have ignited brush fire
CSX Transportation employees working near the railroad tracks in the area of Van Horn Road and Lathrop Street the afternoon of May 28 may have ignited a brush fire, which also damaged material stored at a nearby industrial site.
Police officers responded with a fire extinguisher, and began to extinguish the blaze until firefighters arrived.
HDPE, PVC and TRUSS piping belonging to Gibraltar Construction, 2650 Van Horn Road, was also damaged by the fire.
The police officers then contacted the manager of the CSX Transportation crew to obtain additional information about the circumstances which preceded the fire.
School district employee victimized by identity theft
A Melvindale School District employee living in Trenton learned May 29 that a false unemployment claim was filed in his name by an identity thief, using his Social Security number.
He was advised to file a police report and to contact the Michigan Unemployment office about the fraud.
Wyandotte
Witnesses hear shots fired near Oak and Van Alstyne streets
Witnesses heard several shots fired near Oak and Van Alstyne streets about 2:30 a.m. June 13, and saw a white car speeding away from the area, headed north.
A man who was driving nearby at the time flagged down a passing police officer to report what they saw, while two men in a nearby parking lot dropped to the ground when they heard gunfire. They also saw a white car speeding away from the scene.
Police officers found five spent shell casings in the roadway on Van Alstyne, which were marked with chalk and photographed before being collected and stored as evidence.
Deputy Police Chief Archie Hamilton said it was very fortunate that no one was struck by the gunfire.
Borealis employee bamboozled
A Borealis employee reported June 18 that he was the victim of an identity thief who filed an unemployment claim using his name and private information.
He said he was not aware of any other fraud committed using his identity information. He was given a police report number to pass on to the state unemployment agency when he is able to reach them.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)