Allen Park
Shoplifter gets caught in return visit
A 52-year-old Canton Township man who successfully shoplifted once at Meijer, 3565 Fairlane Drive, the night of Nov. 1, decided to go back for more, which resulted in his arrest for retail fraud.
During his first foray, the man stole reading glasses and a watch, and swapped out his old shoes for a new pair, walking out of the store without paying for the items.
He then re-entered the store, selected a pair of gloves and a sweatshirt, and, after removing the anti-theft tags from them, went to the store’s service desk to return the items for a $94 cash refund, while consuming a soft drink for which he did not pay.
The man was then confronted and detained by loss prevention personnel for the theft of $294 in merchandise and the fraudulent refund.
He was cited for retail fraud and banned from the store, and was escorted from the premises.
Drunken driver falls asleep in turn-around lane
A 27-year-old Detroit woman had a rude awakening about 5 a.m. Nov. 1 when she was found asleep at the wheel, with her car still in drive, in a turn-around lane on southbound Southfield Road near Quandt Avenue.
The responding police officer positioned their patrol car’s front bumper against the front of her car, then rapped on her driver’s side window to awaken her. When she woke up, the police officer opened the car door and promptly shifted the vehicle into park.
The woman, who smelled strongly of intoxicants, admitted to drinking alcohol earlier. Her speech was slurred, her eyes were bloodshot and she had a glassy stare. She did not know where she was, and there was a plastic cup with liquid and ice in the center console which smelled of intoxicants.
She failed field sobriety tests. A preliminary breath test was administered, and the woman had a blood-alcohol content of 0.12, one-and-a-half times the 0.08 limit for legally drunk in Michigan.
She was arrested for operating while impaired and for having an open intoxicant in a motor vehicle. Her vehicle was impounded and towed, and she was taken to the police station, where she was booked and held.
Lincoln Park
Deadbolt damaged; dogs set loose in backyard
A deadbolted front door in the 1400 block of Montie Road was forced open Oct. 14, destroying the door jamb, and the resident’s dogs were set loose in the backyard by the intruder.
The victim, a 50-year-old woman, who was away from the house from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., said she returned to find the front door open and her dogs outside.
She said she did not discover anything missing from the house. A neighbor’s surveillance camera may have captured footage of the intruder, but they were out of town.
Senior has false unemployment claim filed in his name
A 72-year-old Lincoln Park resident said an identity thief used his personal information to falsely filed for unemployment benefits.
He said he became aware of the fraud when the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency sent him two letters asking for more information to complete his claim. When he called them back, he was directed to submit a fraud complaint online.
He was advised also to place a flag on his credit report.
Melvindale
Convenience store shoplifter sought
Melvindale police detectives are seeking a young woman who shoplifted Oct. 13 at 7-Eleven, 18210 Allen Road. The suspect is a slender young woman, with dark blonde hair in a short ponytail, wearing a black T-shirt and ripped blue jeans. She arrived with another young woman, and is believe to be driving a silver Ford Escape. The Melvindale Police Department has posted surveillance footage of the suspect on its Facebook page.
Riverview
Identity thief attempts to order TV for in-store pickup
A Riverview resident was notified Oct. 24 by her bank that her bank card was used online to order a 50-inch Samsung Smart TV, valued at $348, from a Canton Township Walmart.
Canton Township police were notified of the scheduled Oct. 25 pickup time.
The victim did not suffer a financial loss, and was provided with an identity theft packet.
Car wash storage yard burglarized
A storage yard chain link fence behind Riverview Auto Wash, 18584 Fort St., was cut open Oct. 24, and the opening was used to steal three metal loading ramps, each with an approximate $250 scrap value. A fourth ramp was abandoned near the damaged fence opening.
Earlier that day, two German shepherds were returned to the business after they escaped from the fenced area through the cut portion of the chain link fence.
The victim said they would review surveillance camera footage and would forward any actionable images to the detective bureau.
Southgate
Motorhome catalytic converter stolen
The catalytic converter on a Winnebago motorhome in a storage yard was converter stolen, which the owner noticed Oct. 29 when he went to winterize the recreational vehicle.
The victim said nothing else was tampered with, but he needed to file a police report for his insurance company.
Man defrauded of $800 by bogus loan scam
A man was scammed out of $800 in gift cards Oct. 30 by two con artists, working in tandem, who told him he qualified for a government grant.
They convinced him to initially purchase a $300 gift card, which supposedly enabled him to apply for an $18,000 grant. They then had the victim purchase a $500 gift card to cover the subsequent tax obligation. The victim provided the numbers for the gift cards to the men over the phone.
However, when the con artists tried to get the man to purchase an additional $1,500 in gift cards, he hesitated, and his brother told him he was being scammed.
The victim provided the phone numbers to police officers, and was counseled and was provided with a report number.
Taylor
Shoe thief nets pricy pair
A thief kicked in an apartment door in the 12600 block of Pine Street between 2 p.m. Nov. 1 and 9:30 a.m. Nov. 2, destroying the door, punching holes in the apartment walls and stealing a $1,000 pair of Louis Vuitton shoes.
The victim said no one else has access to her apartment. There were no suspects.
Car either stolen or repossessed
A white 2017 Hyundai Sonata was reported missing Nov. 3 from the 9400 block of Pickwick Circle.
The owner said the vehicle was locked, he has the only key in his possession and no one else has permission to drive it. He admitted to being behind on payments, but the front desk officer confirmed that no repossessions had been reported to local police officials.
The vehicle was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network as stolen without keys.
Trenton
Identity thief applies for unemployment, loan
A Trenton woman reported Oct. 29 that an identity thief had applied for unemployment benefits in her name on March 1, and also had applied for a $34,200 business disaster relief loan.
The victim said she has filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and the Office of Inspector General, and said she has put alerts on her name with three credit reporting agencies.
She was given an identify theft protection packet and a case number.
Birthday present delivery stolen
A package thief stole a man’s birthday present delivery Oct. 26 from outside his apartment door.
The victim said he received a delivery alert from the U.S. Postal Service, but when he went to retrieve the package an hour later, it was missing. He said the package contained a video game with a $100 value.
He said other residents in his apartment complex have experienced package thefts in the past.
Wyandotte
Bong battle
A customer who became upset the morning of Oct. 24 when she learned she could not return a bong she purchased the day before from Tobacco and More Plus, 888 Ford Ave., knocked over a cigar plastic display unit onto the floor before fleeing north on Electric Avenue in a silver car.
The responding police officer noted the damage, and provided the store representative with a police report number.
Hero’s foot, ankle run over
A man who tried to protect a woman from three aggressive men the night of Oct. 23, in the parking lot of a bar in the 800 block of Biddle Avenue, was injured when one of the aggressors shoved him to the ground, and another backed a car over his right foot and ankle before they fled.
One of two women on the scene used pepper spray on the aggressors to help her rescuer, while the other wrote down the license plate of the vehicle in which the men fled.
The would-be hero was then transported to Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
(Compiled by Sue Suchyta.)