By ZEINAB NAJM
Sunday Times Newspapers
ALLEN PARK — Police recovered a stolen Makita Circular saw and five Diablo Circular saw blades from a suspect involved in retail fraud at Home Depot, 3163 Fairlane Drive.
The saw is valued at $129 and the blades totaling $109.85.
After being dispatched to the store, Downriver Central Dispatch advised that a white man riding a bike toward Oakwood Boulevard had just stolen the saw and blades. A responding officer was unable to locate the suspect but another officer continued to search.
The officer went to speak with the Home Depot loss prevention officer who said the man entered the store and went directly to the hardware aisle where he selected the merchandise and placed them into a cart. He continued to the back of the store into the vanity aisle, concealed the items into his backpack and put it on his back.
The man passed all cash registers without attempting to pay for the merchandise. When the LPO stopped the man he said he didn’t have anything then exited the front doors and fled on a bike.
While at the store, the police officer was advised by the other officer that he had a man matching the description stopped at South Dearborn Street just east of Hannah in Melvindale. It was confirmed that the man had the stolen items.
As the man as being taken to the Allen Park Police Department, he said that he swallowed 1.5 grams of heroin that was wrapped in a plastic bag and said he was fine but was starting to feel sick.
Once at the police station, the man given a citation for retail fraud before he was transported to Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn. His blue Schwinn bike was placed into property for safekeeping.
The LPO officer went to the station to drop off a report and recover the stolen merchandise.