The homeowner said she heard her dog scratching at the back door about that time and when she checked on the dog, she saw a white man wearing a white baseball cap and a dark-colored jacket and attempting to gain entry to her back door with a screwdriver.

The woman pounded on the glass and the man ran away, jumping a fence and running across Cabrini High School’s field before getting in the passenger side of a gold vehicle parked on Moore. The vehicle then drove east on Moore.

Guns stolen from house
Five firearms were reported stolen from a house in the 14000 block of Le Blanc Avenue about 1:30 p.m. Jan. 27.

The homeowner said he left the house about 11 a.m. Friday, and when he returned several hours later, the side storm door was open. His basement door also was open, and his bedroom was ransacked. Missing were four handguns and a shotgun along with two watches, multiple pieces of jewelry valued at about $15,000, and a 32-inch TV.

The door deadbolt appeared to be pried open with a screwdriver.

Dearborn
Furniture, electronics damaged during break-in
A break-in sometime before 9:18 p.m. Jan. 28 left a house in the 900 block of Claremont with about $750 in damages.

The victim said when he and his wife returned home they found the side door unlocked and the house in disarray. A music player and a refrigerator in the kitchen were damaged, a recliner in the living room had three cuts in it and a telephone in the rear of the house was broken.

Gun only item taken from house
A handgun of undetermined value was stolen about 9 p.m. Jan. 26 from a house in the 22000 block of Heinze.

The victim said he returned from an out-of-state trip after receiving a phone call from his alarm company notifying him of movement in the house’s dining room.

Officers responded and found the handgun was the only item missing, taken from a bedroom night stand. The victim confirmed nothing else was taken.

Suspects sought in car part theft
A catalytic converter valued at $500 was stolen about 8 a.m. Jan. 28 from an alley behind Cedarland Bakery, 13027 Warren.

The victim said when she left work about 2 p.m., she found the catalytic converter for her 1996 Honda Odyssey missing. A coworker who witnessed the theft said he saw a brown 2001 Pontiac Montana minivan occupied by two black men back into a parking lot behind the victim’s minivan. When he left the bakery, he saw the van’s side door open and could hear a cutting noise.

Dearborn Heights
Electronics taken during break-in
A television valued at $800 and a video game system ($250) were stolen about 4:30 a.m. Jan. 31 from a house in the 24000 block of Belton.

The victim said he and his wife found the side door cracked. Officers also found a window in the southwest bedroom broken out and footprints in the backyard leading to an empty parking lot.

Resident‘s, daughter’s jewelry stolen
Five gold necklaces valued at $1,000 were stolen about 4 p.m. Jan. 26 from a house in the 6000 block of Evangeline.

The victim said she returned home and found the southwest bedroom window open. After checking the house, she said two small jewelry boxes containing the necklaces were missing.

Mobile phone stolen
A mobile phone valued at $400 was stolen about 1 p.m. Jan. 29 from a house in the 24000 block of Fordson Highway.

The victim said her nephew was knocking on the front door, but she refused to let him in. Her niece said while the victim was in the bathroom, the nephew walked in through the side door and took the phone before fleeing on foot.

Thieves take airbag
A factory-installed airbag valued at $150 was stolen abut 2:30 a.m. Jan. 27 from a 2007 Pontiac G6 parked across the street from a house in the 8000 block of Dale.

The victim said the suspects broke the rear passenger window of her car and stole the airbag. Surveillance cameras in front of the house showed two suspects approaching the vehicle before they fled east on Ann Arbor Trail on foot a short time later.

Lincoln Park
Bag of pot left at confrontation scene
A rush-hour motorist had harsh words with a teenage driver, who left behind a plastic bag containing suspected marijuana.

Lincoln Park Police were called to the intersection of Dix and Champaign shortly after 5 p.m. Jan. 27, where a motorist said he’d been cut off in traffic by a northbound Ford Focus. The man told police he stopped next to the vehicle at the intersection, and had words with the driver.

At that point, a thin white man, 6 feet tall in his late teens, stepped out of the Focus from the passenger seat and challenged the man to a fight. The man said he wasn’t going to hit a teenager, and went back to his vehicle.

The passenger stepped back toward the Focus, and a “large bag of suspected marijuana” fell out of his gray sweatshirt. The man left the bag where it dropped, and called police while the teens drove away. The police recorded descriptions and information, and are investigating.

The suspected marijuana tested positive, weighed 42.2 grams and was placed into evidence.

Melvindale
Nail polish at heart of shoplifting debate
Two women were banned from Dollar General, 18276 Allen, after store personnel accused them of attempting to steal a frozen pizza and two bottles of nail polish.

Store employees told police about 6 p.m. Tuesday they saw the shoppers, a 28-year-old Detroit woman and a 23-year-old Melvindale woman, pick up two bottles of nail polish and “believed” they intended to steal it, but set it down when they saw they were being watched.

The women said they each realized they could not pay for the nail polish, so they put them back and went to pay for the pizza.

Neither woman had merchandise for which they had not paid. One of them had holes cut in her pockets that police said could have been used for shoplifting.

Lawn set missing from house
Someone attempted to break in to a house in the 2300 block of Corbin Avenue sometime before 8 p.m. Jan. 28, but managed to get only a set of two patio chairs from the lawn.

The homeowner found pry marks on the front door when she arrived home from work about that time. Nothing else was missing and entry was not gained to the house.

Riverview
Two arrested for driving wrong way
Police arrested two drivers last weekend for driving the wrong way on Fort Street.

About 2:40 a.m. Jan. 27, officers arrested an 18-year-old Dearborn woman after she allegedly drove north on a southbound portion of Fort Street. The woman failed field sobriety tests and registered a breath alcohol content level of 0.178 percent.

About 2 a.m. the next day, officers arrested a 26-year-old Taylor man who allegedly drove his 1997 Honda Accord north in a southbound lane of Fort Street. Officers conducting a traffic stop saw the car as it nearly collided with another vehicle.

The driver failed field sobriety tests and declined a preliminary breath test. He was arrested and then registered a BAC of 0.23 percent. The legal limit in Michigan is 0.08 percent.

Southgate
Purse, cash swiped at store
A woman told Southgate Police that, while shopping at Dollar Tree, 15080 Dix-Toledo Rd., she briefly sat down a bag containing her purse and wallet, which was reportedly stolen by another customer.

The woman said she was shopping at around 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at the store, and her pink, fossil wallet containing $440 cash, identity and credit cards was in a bag she carried. After setting it down while shopping, she discovered it missing and notified the manager.

The store did not have surveillance cameras capturing images where the woman was shopping.

Taylor
Drugs stolen from store
Surveillance video footage captured a burglar taking numerous prescription medications from Taylor Discount Pharmacy, 9320 Telegraph.

Police responded to a burglar alarm at 9:12 p.m. Jan. 29 and discovered the front door of the pharmacy had been pried open, and a secondary door kicked in for the burglar to gain entry. After the owner arrived, police reviewed video footage of a black male wearing blue jeans, a dark hooded sweatshirt, jacket and gloves. The man went behind the counter carrying a gray plastic tote, and opened a drawer that the owner said contained prescriptions awaiting customer pickup.

The owner told police that controlled substances are not kept in the same drawer that the burglar targeted. A complete list of what was taken was to be provided while police investigate.

Woman punched, robbed
A woman walking through the parking lot near Super China Buffet at the intersection of Telegraph and Chernick roads was approached, assaulted and robbed of the $9 in her pocket.

Police were called to the scene at about 10 a.m. Jan. 28, where the victim said a white male of undetermined age approached her and punched her several times in the face. She fell down, and the man told her to give him money.

The woman said she gave him the cash from her pocket, and he walked away in a hurry. She suffered several bruises and abrasions on her mouth and cheek, but declined medical attention.

Jewelry among stolen items
When a homeowner in the 12000 block of West Point Avenue returned after less than two hours away Jan. 26, he found that a burglar had broken in and stolen a cabinet’s worth of jewelry and other personal items.

Police were called to the house at about 4 p.m. and noted that entry was made by someone throwing a patio brick through a bedroom window. An unknown amount of jewelry was taken, along with personal items kept in a lock-box.

Two men working on a neighboring house said they observed a white male between 20 and 25 years old walking the block and looking at houses.

Police compiled a description of the unknown man, and are awaiting a complete list of stolen items.

Wyandotte
Vehicle missing, recovered while owner in jail
A 1996 Chrysler Town and Country was reported stolen while its owner was in custody in Wyandotte Jail.

The man was arrested on Nov. 26 for domestic violence and released on Jan. 27 to find the vehicle missing which had been impounded by Southgate police. He later learned it had been impounded.

Five arrested in car
A gunshot led police to the arrest of five people in a car stocked with open liquor bottles and a handgun on Fort Street near Davis about 3 a.m. Jan. 28.

Officers heard the gunshot as the 2002 ford Taurus pulled onto the street from a fast food drive-through and followed the vehicle, which then turned left in violation of posted signs onto Northline Road. A search of the vehicle turned up a loaded handgun and two open liquor bottles and its driver, a 23-year-old South Rockwood man, was arrested along with four passengers, a 24-year-old Detroit man, a 23-year-old Lincoln Park woman, a 23-year-old River Rouge woman, and a 21-year-old Allen Park man.

Five spent casing were found in the vehicle.

A witness said the vehicle struck her vehicle in a parking lot and she said she heard the gunshot and thought it came from the vehicle.

(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)

After apprehending a 19-year-old Wyandotte man who allegedly had attempted to break into a house in the 14000 block of Euclid, officers followed footprints on Keppen that led them to a jacket that had been deposited next to the unlocked car. Officers notified the owner, who checked the vehicle and found designer sunglasses and a cell phone charger missing from the car.

When officers picked up the jacket, the owner’s sunglasses and charger were underneath it, along with a global positioning system unit and a lighter.

Stop and steal the roses
A thief at Dollar Tree, 1033 Pelham, found a way to cut costs for Valentine’s Day.

The 50-year-old Taylor man allegedly stole 24 individually boxed chocolate roses from the store about 5 p.m. Jan. 22.

The clerk said she noticed the roses missing and asked all store employees if they had sold them. When she learned they had not, she called the police with a description of a suspect and the license plate number of his GMC Jimmy.

Officers visited the man’s house, where he denied stealing the roses. He was told to expect a warrant issued to him and “did not seem surprised.”

Car theft nets electronics
A Global Positioning System unit, an Mp3 player and $10 in change were reported stolen from a 2009 Ford Fusion parked in the 9000 block of Manor Avenue about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The owner said the items were last seen in the vehicle about 10 p.m. Monday. When he went to take his children to school at 7 a.m. the next morning, the items were missing. He was not sure whether it had been locked.

Dearborn Heights
Thieves thousands in jewelry
Two gold necklaces valued at $5,000 and an engagement ring ($5,000) were stolen about 8:12 p.m. Jan. 23 from a house in the 6000 block of North Silvery Lane.

The victim said the suspects smashed a pane of glass on an exterior side door, got in the house and took the jewelry from a jewelry box in an upstairs bedroom. The thieves also tried to steal $20 in loose change from a plastic jar and a piggy bank.

Would-be stamp thief caught
Officers arrested a man about 2 p.m. Jan. 21 after he allegedly tried to steal a stamp valued at $2,400 during a stamp show at Sokol Hall, 23600 West Warren.

The victim said the suspect was acting in a suspicious manner as he glanced through the victim’s stamps. The victim recognized him from previous art shows and said the suspect had a note pad with him and was writing notes on stamps when the victim heard a tearing sound and asked the suspect to leave.

The suspect asked if he could go back and get his notebook, which the victim refused, but offered to get it for him. After he picked it up, he saw the notepad had double-sided tape on the back with one of the torn-out pages from the victim’s stamp folder, containing the stamp.

The suspect fled, but the victim obtained a license plate number and called 911. After tracing the plates, Dearborn Heights Police and Dearborn Police officers arrived at the suspect’s house and arrested him.

Suspects wanted in attempted armed robbery
Officers are searching for two suspects who allegedly robbed four victims at gunpoint about 12:42 a.m. Jan. 22 in the 3000 block of Huron.

The suspects are described as a 16-year-old boy wearing a brown Carhartt jacket and blue jeans and a man wearing a ski mask and dressed in black.

The victims told officers they were walking along the east side of Hipp Street when they saw two boys walk east on Colgate, then cross Hipp Street and head toward them. The second suspect, recognized by one of the victims as a schoolmate, pointed a shotgun at the victims and ordered them to get on the ground and empty their pockets.

The victims tried to run away, but were allegedly assaulted by both suspects. The victims then ran to a house in the 3000 block of Huron where they called officers.

Dearborn
GPS stolen in front of house
A global positioning system unit valued at $500 and a coat of indeterminate value were stolen sometime before 8 a.m. Jan. 23 from a pickup truck parked in front of a house in the 3000 block of Edgewood.

The victim said the suspects smashed the left rear passenger window of his 2008 Chevrolet Silverado and stole the items.

Car stolen while warming up
A 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe was stolen about 7:07 a.m. Jan. 23 from a house in the 7000 block of East Morrow Circle.

The victim said his son left the pickup truck’s engine running before leaving for school. When the son went to leave, the truck was gone. The victim said the vehicle was a recent purchase and had an in-transit repair license plate.

Candy, air rifles taken from store
Six pellet rifles valued at $90 and a bag of candy ($2) were stolen about 8 p.m. Jan. 22 from a store in the 7000 block of Greenfield.

The store’s owner said he received a phone call from an alarm company about an interior alarm activation. He arrived at the store and found the rear door leading to an upper level propped open and an east-facing second floor window broken.

Security tapes showed a while or Middle Eastern man wearing a black ski mask, a white jacket with two black stripes on both shoulders, blue jeans and gloves exit the second story stairwell. The suspect then walked down an aisle, took two garbage bags from the shelf and stole the items. He then walked behind the counter, lifted the register drawer, looked behind the counter and left.

Lincoln Park
Criminal leaves calling card
Police are looking to speak with a man whose state identification card was left at the scene of a home invasion and burglary.

A Lincoln Park couple called police shortly before 4 a.m. Jan. 22, after discovering their house in the 800 block of Cleveland Avenue had been burglarized. One or more thieves stole about $3,000 worth of electronics, including a 50-inch television valued at $1,600, a 42-inch TV worth $1,200, a laptop computer and a DVD player.

Entry was likely gained through the kitchen window, where the screen was pushed in. The couple found the house ransacked throughout, and while straightening up a bedroom noticed a man’s Michigan state identification card. Neither of the two knew the man, nor had they ever seen him.

Police collected additional evidence, and are investigating.

Southgate
Charger taken from apartment lot
A Southgate man locked his car in an apartment parking lot at about 1 p.m. Jan. 20, and told police it was taken sometime before 8 a.m. Saturday.

Police responded to the complex in the 13000 block of Pine Ridge Lane, where the owner of a 2007 Dodge Charger valued at $1,000 said he secured the vehicle the day before, and took a bus to work. When he returned the next morning the vehicle was gone, although no signs of forced entry or broken glass were observed near the space where he parked.

The vehicle’s description was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.

Taylor
Fire-damaged home burglarized
Thieves broke into a fire-damaged home and took off with, among other things, a 50-inch TV valued at $750.

A woman in the 9400 block of Hazel Avenue told police that, after a recent fire caused interior damage, she locked up the house and was staying elsewhere.

After last securing the house Jan. 16, the woman returned about noon Wednesday and discovered a back window smashed in with a patio brick.

Police responded to her call, and noted that the home was ransacked throughout, and soot from the fire still covered most of the rooms. The woman was uncertain what else might have been taken. Police are investigating.

Trenton
Third time’s the harm for swindle attempt
Trenton Police are looking for a currency-exchange con man who allegedly stole $150 cash at a pizza parlor by asking for change of a $50 bill … three times.

According to police reports, an approximately 40-year-old black man entered Jet’s Pizza, 2031 West Rd., around 6 p.m. Jan. 21. Seeking change of a $50 bill, the man allegedly confused the clerk during three separate exchanges of the fifty dollars, receiving more than the value of the bill, and stole $150 from the store.

Police obtained evidence including surveillance video of the exchange and suspect, a man of medium build and about 6 foot 3 inches tall. Police ask that anyone with information contact (734) 676-3737.

Melvindale
Visit leads to theft
A woman visiting a friend in the 17400 block of Wall Street apparently invited thieves to steal some of her valuables.

The woman had left her car keys on the kitchen table in the house and spent several hours there. After returning home, she found her debit card missing. A check of her vehicle revealed other items, including two diamond rings valued at $500, $47 cash, and a Detroit firefighter’s badge belonging to her father, missing.

Shoplifter caught after bike chase
A 27-year-old Lincoln Park man didn’t get far with items stolen from Rite Aid Pharmacy, 4016 Oakwood about 2 p.m. Monday.

The man allegedly fled the scene on a bicycle headed south down a nearby alley onto Allen Road, where officers cornered him.

He told police he was coming from Rite Aid before lifting his shirt to reveal unknown items reported missing from the store before telling officers “I know I shouldn’t have taken it. It was wrong and I was stupid for taking it.”

Officers also found a used syringe on the man and he was arrested for retail fraud and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Riverview
Cameras show theft
A surveillance camera tipped off owners of a house in the 13000 block of Longsdorf to a burglary, just not in the way they’d planned.

About 4 p.m. Jan. 20, the homeowners were installing a portion of the system that recently had been repaired, when they noticed the wires to the system had been cut and the cameras removed.

The system had last been seen intact 10 days prior. Additional items were found missing from the backyard and shed. A detailed list of missing items was being prepared.

Wyandotte
Weapons lead to arrest
Three men were arrested for carrying concealed weapons after a traffic stop turned up a knife and a loaded semi automatic gun about 11 a.m. Monday.

About that time, officers stopped a 1990 Plymouth Voyager after it failed to signal when changing lanes on Fort Street.

On the driver, a 20-year-old resident, officers found the weapons, for which he said he did not have a concealed carry permit. He said he was holding it for a passenger, an 18-year-old resident, while he went into a store.

A stun gun was also found in the vehicle along with marijuana. A 23-year-old Taylor man in the vehicle was also arrested.

Cyclist snags liquor
A man on a bicycle made off with an unknown amount of liquor from CVS/pharmacy, 131 Elm, about 2:30 p.m. Monday.

The man, described as in his 40s or 50s, standing about 6 feet tall with a thin build and salt and pepper hair and wearing a red baseball cap and a gray and red jacket, allegedly stuffed the bottles into his pants and left west through a nearby alley.

It is unknown how much or what kind of liquor was taken.

(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)

A 56-year-old Allen Park man allegedly pocketed a can of the delicacy along with several watch bands about 4:30 p.m. that day.

The man passed all points of purchase with the items tucked into his jacket. A loss prevention officer followed him, and he ran into a wooded area near the store, where he dumped the merchandise before police officers caught him.

The items were valued together at $25.89. The man was arrested.

Pharmacy struck twice in two days
A burglar left behind the loot stolen from the pharmacy inside Park Urgent Care, 15101 Southfield Road, Jan. 14.

Just before 1 a.m. that day, officers responded to an alarm at the facility and found $108 in $10s and $1s in the snow behind the building.

Entry was apparently gained through the sliding glass window of the pharmacy, which officers found broken.

Nothing else appeared out of order and no evidence was found inside the building.

Two days later, officers responded to the same location, on another burglar alarm that sounded about 7 a.m. that day.

Surveillance footage showed a heavy-set black man dressed in black clothing and a white bandanna smash both glass windows and jump the pharmacy counter.

A $20 bill was missing from the register.

Dearborn
Car part stolen in front of house
A catalytic converter valued at $500 was stolen sometime before 3 p.m. Jan. 14 from a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire parked in front of a house in the 7000 block of Hartwell.

The victim said the car was parked in front of the house. The next day the catalytic converter was missing from the car’s undercarriage.

Rental car’s wheels, tires stolen
Four tires valued at $600 and wheels ($1,600) were stolen sometime before 6:45 a.m. Jan.13 from a rented 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo parked in front of a house in the 5000 block of Palmer.

The victim said he parked the vehicle in the street. The next day he found the vehicle on four landscape blocks. The victim said he wasn’t sure what kind of wheels and tires were stolen.

Fire-damaged house broken into
Two televisions valued at $1,300 and two video game systems, one $250 and one of indeterminate value, were stolen about 9:53 a.m. Jan. 14 from a fire-damaged house in the 7000 block of Yinger.

An employee of Farmer’s Insurance who was checking on the house after the Jan. 11 fire discovered the break-in. She said she found the the house’s side door forced open and contacted the Dearborn Fire Department, which said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

A Fire Department inspector said a police officer required one of the residents to go to the house to check if anything was missing. The homeowner’s 21-year-old daughter confirmed the items were stolen and said no one in her family has been in the house since the fire.

Dearborn Heights
Suspect breaks in while victim sleeps
Officers are searching for a suspect who broke into a house in the 24000 block of Fordson Highway about 12:18 p.m. Jan. 17.

The victim said she was sleeping on a couch in the living room when she heard a loud bang. She looked up and saw the suspect, described as a white man with brown hair, about 25 years old, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds, standing in the doorway.

When he saw the victim, the suspect stepped outside and closed the door. The resident said she saw the man get into the passenger-side door of a Ford Focus parked in the driveway, which fled in an undetermined direction.

Electronics taken during break-in
A laptop computer valued at $400, a video game system ($400), three video game controllers ($180) and about 15 video games ($600) were stolen about 5 p.m. Jan. 17 from a house in the 5000 block of Princess.

A caller said they saw a man running from the location and it appeared a window was broken out. The caller also said the suspect got into a gray Chevrolet Impala and fled.

While walking to the back of the house, officers found a large sliding-glass window missing and the rear door open. Several rooms were also found ransacked.

Central air unit, copper pipes stolen
Copper pipes of an undetermined value and a central air conditioning unit ($400) were stolen sometime before 2 p.m. Jan. 13 from a house in the 8000 block of Hazelton.

The victim said sometime during the New Year holiday, the suspects broke into the house, entered the basement and stole copper piping attached to the water heater and sink. The central air conditioner was stolen from a concrete slab in the backyard.

Money order taken from kitchen
An $830 money order was stolen about 11:44 p.m. Jan. 16 from a house in the 6000 block of Mayburn.

The victim said the house was locked when he left. When he returned, a money order left on the kitchen counter was missing and cigarette ash was found in the kitchen sink.

The victim said the back door was not dead bolted and the handle was not functional from the outside.

Lincoln Park
Purse grabbed after fake emergency
The good deed of an employee of Dollar General, 1119 Fort St., turned costly when a man faking an ailment took off with the employee’s purse.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m., the woman told police, she and another store employee were in her vehicle in the parking lot, waiting for it to warm before leaving. A young black man in his early 20s, approached and asked that they call an ambulance as he wasn’t feeling well “from an old gunshot wound.”

The man stood near the car for a few minutes before asking when the ambulance would arrive. Told it should be there soon, he reportedly reached in and took a purse that was on the passenger-side floor. The suspect then ran off heading north through the parking lot.

The purse contained a pair of shoes and a wallet, with identification and a bank card, but no cash.

Police noted the suspect’s description: about 6 feet tall and weighing between 180 and 200 pounds, wearing black jeans and a black and gray hooded jacket with ghosts on the back.

Melvindale
Resident stops theft
A witness to a theft in the 2400 block of Kincaid Avenue Jan 10 was shocked to realize she was the victim.

The woman pulled to the curb near her house about 2:30 p.m that day and saw a white man in his early 30s wearing a black knitted hat loading a large flat screen television into the trunk of his car.

She made eye contact with the man, also described as 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 9 inches tall and 175 pounds, and he sat the television on the curb and drove off. When the woman approached the television, she realized it came from her house.

The house was ransacked and a list of other missing items was being compiled.

Riverview
Abandoned house burglarized
A house in the process of foreclosure was broken into sometime before 6 p.m. Jan. 12 and someone made off with copper pipe, a furnace, a water heater and a bathroom sink.

The resident had not lived at the house, in the 18700 block of Hinton for two months and was unsure if the house was yet owned by the bank. A co-owner was not interviewed.

Entry was apparently gained through the southeast bedroom window.

Southgate
Electronics taken from vehicle
A Southgate woman left her car unlocked in a friend’s driveway, and after the brief visit turned into an overnight stay she discovered the loss of a suitcase containing about $1,000 worth of electronics.

The woman called police from the 12000 block of McCann, and said that the stolen suitcase — which was on the front passenger seat — contained two Mp3 players each valued at $299; a global positioning system unit worth $300; a $180 Blue-Ray DVD player; and assorted DVDs valued at $180.

Police noted the serial numbers for the missing electronics and are investigating.

Taylor
Second burglary strikes salon
For the second time in a month the Clip’n Time hair salon, 23903 Goddard Road, was hit by one or more burglars looking for quick cash.

On Jan. 9, a wall hanging made of 50 $1 bills was discovered missing. Police were called by a store employee shortly after noon when she reported for work and discovered a broken east-side window and the missing currency.

Previously, on Jan. 3, a faulty window latch was cited as the entry point when a burglar made off with more than $1,000 in cash and a DVD player.

Police collected evidence near the window and are investigating.

Trenton
Apartment looted, spray-painted
Burglars left behind a ransacked apartment in the 4800 block of Fort Street, complete with obscene, spray-painted graffiti.

Police responded to the call shortly after 11 a.m. Jan. 11 from a 51-year-old man who returned home to discover his front door forced open, the theft of a 50-inch TV, a digital camera, a video game system and an estimated $300 in cash.

The apartment was damaged with holes in walls, furniture destroyed, water flooding the bathroom and hallway, cabinet doors ripped off and other damages, including a variety of obscene sayings on the walls and refrigerator.

The victim told police he believed that a 35-year-old woman might be responsible. The man moved in recently after being shown the apartment by the suspect, whom he dated briefly and said misunderstood whether the two of them would share the apartment.

Police are investigating.

Wyandotte
Tools taken from construction site
Tools were apparently stolen from a construction site at Fort Street near Clark sometime before noon Monday.

A hammer drill and two generators were missing.

The site manager said when he arrived at work that morning, the items were there, but when he checked a storage shed where they were kept at noon, they were missing.

Door stolen from construction site
An unknown suspect was spotted stealing the front entry door of a house being built in the 200 block of St. Johns about 1 p.m. Jan. 13.

The white man, about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds and wearing a gray jacket and black jeans, was seen carrying the door near the alley near Clinton and Fourth streets. Footprints were found heading back to Fourth and stopping, as if a vehicle picked the man up.

(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)

The truck was parked in the 9600 block of Rosedale all day, and when the owner returned to it the next morning, he discovered the rear window was smashed out.

A drill and assorted other tools were in the truck. No suspects or witnesses were found.

Missing purse breeds violence
A 38-year-old Southgate man was arrested for felony assault after allegedly striking several patrons of the Polo Club, 6530 Allen Road, including his 18-year-old daughter, with pool cues about 2 a.m Jan 8.

The man, who had been asked to leave the club after being “belligerent,” re-entered it a short time later with his family searching for a purse he thought his daughter had left there. The man said he thought someone in the club had it, and then began swinging three pool cues at a group of men who were playing pool, before attempting to “stab” several patrons with the sharp end of the sticks, which were broken in the process.

A patron suffered scratches on his neck after the alleged assault, and the man’s daughter was struck in the mouth when the man allegedly attempted to strike a patron but missed. The daughter suffered bleeding and bruising on her lip.

The daughter told police she drank alcohol before coming to the club. She registered a blood alcohol content level of 0.44 percent and was cited for minor consuming alcohol.

The daughter’s pink purse was later found in her father’s car.

Biker thief busted
The get-away ride for a 27-year-old Melvindale man who allegedly shoplifted seven bottles of cologne from Meijer, 3565 Fairlane, was no match for Allen Park Police cruisers.

After concealing the cologne in his coat and exiting the store with it about 2 p.m. Jan. 8, a store loss prevention officer approached the man, who pedaled away on his bicycle.

Officers caught up with the man cycling east on Outer Drive before heading into Outer Drive Manor Apartments. When they activated the squad car’s overhead lights, the man “looked back and continued to pedal faster in an attempt to evade patrol cars,” according to the report.

He dismounted his bike and attempted to climb a fence before he was handcuffed and arrested.

The cologne was valued at $294.

Dearborn
Break-in nets thousands in electronics
A laptop computer valued at $2,000, a video game system with four games ($450) and a DVD player ($300) were stolen sometime before 6:45 p.m. Jan. 9 from a house in the 21000 block of Homer.

The victim said after returning home from work, he noticed the front door was unlocked and found the glass from the back door pried out.

The victim said the laptop was taken from a kitchen table, the video games were taken from the basement and the DVD player was taken from a closet in an upstairs bedroom.

Neighbors reported seeing no suspicious activity.

Stereo-TV combo stolen from car
A combination television and stereo valued at $350 was stolen sometime before 8 a.m. Jan. 7 from a car parked near a house in the 6000 block of Appoline.

The victim said the suspects broke out the passenger-side window of his 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse and stole the equipment from a dashboard mount.

Car swiped from gas station
Officers are searching for a suspect who stole a car about 1:29 a.m. Jan. 8 from a Mobil gas station, 13600 Warren Ave.

The victim said he left his orange 2006 Pontiac G6 unlocked with the engine running while he bought gum. When he returned to the car, a black man between 20 and 25 years old with a heavy build, curly hair and wearing an orange hooded sweatshirt was sitting in the driver’s seat.

The victim ran up to the car, but the man drove off before the victim could open the door, heading north on Schaefer Road. Officers checked the area but could not locate the car.

Dearborn Heights
Home invasion thwarted
Officers are searching for a man who attempted to break into a house about noon Jan 6 in the 20000 block of Whitlock.

A 15-year-old boy said he was upstairs sleeping when he heard pounding on the back door, followed by breaking glass. When he went downstairs to investigate, he found the door’s window shattered.

A neighbor said the suspect, a black man wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and gray or tan sweat pants, ran north from the house toward Gulley Street after the neighbor scared the suspect away.

Electronics taken during break-in
Two televisions, surround-sound speakers, a video game system, a toaster, a coffee maker and $250 cash were stolen about 7:23 a.m. Jan. 7 from a house in the 5000 block of Mayfair.

The victim said the suspects got in through an unlocked side door and stole the items.

Music equipment taken from garage
An amplifier valued at $100, a set of speakers ($1,100), a CD player ($1,100) and an auto light ($150) were stolen about 1:44 p.m. Jan. 7 from a garage in the 4000 block of Pardee.

The victim said the garage’s side door was locked and a piece of steel was braced against the main door. Officers determined the suspects got in by forcing open the side door.

Air conditioner stolen from city-owned yard
An air conditioning unit valued at $3,000 was stolen sometime before 9 a.m. Jan. 9 from a city-owned house in the 20000 block of Whitlock.

An employee of the Dearborn Heights Building Department said the suspects entered the back yard and cut all lines and wires to the air conditioner.

Lincoln Park
Suspects sought for home invasion
Police are investigating a Tuesday burglary in which three possible suspects looted a house in the 1900 block of Garfield.

A woman told police she left the house shortly after 10 a.m., and when she returned at 12:45 p.m. she noticed the back door broken, and missing items including a $650 Panasonic TV, jewelry worth nearly $2,000, and cash from a lock box taken from a bedroom night stand.

An employee from a business across the street told police he observed a red Pontiac Grand Am parked in the driveway; one man sat in the back seat and the witness observed two men carry the television from the home, place it in the vehicle and drive away.

Police are looking for two Hispanic men, each approximately 20 years old, and a black man of uncertain description. Police noted a rear storm door that was shattered, and are investigating.

Store robbery nets little cash
A smash-and-grab burglar broke into Pizza Hut, 2121 Dix Ave. early Tuesday morning, but walked away with barely the price of a Hot and Ready pie.

Police responded shortly after 3 a.m. to a resident’s report, when a couple living in an apartment building facing the rear of the restaurant called to report witnessing the crime.

The man and woman said they heard a loud banging noise, and from their window saw a man of medium height and build wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and kicking at the entrance door. The suspect crawled into the store, and left soon after carrying a cash register. The man was seen throwing the register over a brick wall behind the building, and jumping over; he was last seen running east on Philomene.

Responding officers and a K-9 tracker followed the scent through a field, north on Abbot and across Southfield where it ended at a motel parking lot. The attendant did not see anyone enter at that time.

The store manager reported to police that the register held $7.86.

Southgate
Two vans taken from lot
A woman reported the theft of two similar vehicles, taken from a parking lot in the 13000 block of Village Park Drive sometime after 9:45 p.m. Jan. 5.

According to a police report, the woman said she parked a gold 2002 Dodge Caravan valued at $8,000 there on Thursday evening, and at 1 p.m. Friday discovered it missing, along with a 2000 Silver Dodge Caravan of equal value that was parked nearby.

The woman was current in payments on the vehicles, both of which were insured. Police noted identifying marks of the vans, and entered the descriptions in the Law Enforcement Information Network.

Taylor
Cash, gun taken from hair salon
The new year started poorly for the owner of the Clip’n Time hair salon, 23903 Goddard Road, after a thief broke in and stole more than $1,000 cash and a handgun.

Police were called to the business about 10:30 a.m. Jan. 3. The shop closed the previous Friday for the holiday, and the owner discovered the theft when she reopened Tuesday. Missing from her desk were envelopes containing an estimated $1,170 in cash, a DVD player valued at $100, and a $400 Beretta Bobcat .22-caliber pistol.

Police reported that entry was likely gained through a window which the owner said had a faulty latch. Police collected evidence at the scene, and entered the handgun’s description into the Law Enforcement Information Network.

Bird taken from trade center
The owner of Jackie’s Exotic Birds, which does business from a nook at the Gibraltar Trade Center, 15525 Racho Road, reported the theft of a white umbrella cockatoo from her business.

Police responded to the call at 8:25 p.m. Jan. 7. The woman said she often lets the birds out of their cages during the afternoon, but they always remain in the nook area. At closing time, she noticed that one of the cockatoos, valued at $1,500, was missing.

Police and the business owner will pursue any leads found in online sales of exotic birds.

Trenton
Cosmetics thief strikes CVS
A Saturday afternoon shopper at CVS, 1625 King Road, is believed responsible for the theft of about $500 worth of cosmetics.

Police responded to a call from the store manager at 3:25 p.m., who reported that a white woman, about 330 years old with long, straight blonde or red hair, was carrying a large gray bag while shopping. The woman left the store and area in a burgundy vehicle, a description of which was provided to police.

The store manager also provided photos taken from the video surveillance cameras. Police are investigating.

Woman charged for Identity theft
A 21-year-old woman with a history of embezzlement, counterfeiting and forgery charges was arrested on suspicion of identity theft charges.

Julia Loretta Graham, 61, was arrested by Det. Sgt. Mark Enright when she tried to obtain eyeglasses paid for with a counterfeit check bearing the name of a Trenton woman. Graham was arraigned Jan. 6 in 33rd District Court with three counts of uttering and publishing. Graham entered a plea of innocent to the felony, punishable by up to 14 years in prison, and one count of identity theft.

Using the personal information of a Trenton woman, Graham allegedly spent more than $6,000 in the week leading up to Christmas, cashing checks at chain stores throughout metro Detroit.

Graham was offered a 10 percent of $75,000 bond, and is scheduled for a preliminary examination Jan. 17 before Judge Michael K. McNally, according to court records.

Graham was also charged as a habitual offender, having been convicted three previous times on forgery-related charges.

Riverview
Unlicensed driver cited
A 27-year-old Woodhaven woman was cited for driving with a suspended license after she was pulled over on Fort Street near King Tuesday.

An officer driving behind her ran the vehicle’s license plate, which revealed a license suspended Jan. 4.

The woman said she had recently paid citations from Allen Park and thought her license was “taken care of.” The officer informed her of an outstanding driver responsibility fee, for which her license had been suspended.

Wyandotte
Pooch pilfered
A patron of Frank’s Cafe, 3852 Sixth Street, left the bar about 3 p.m. Tuesday to find her 4-year-old dachshund missing.

The dog had been tied to a steel railing in front of the bar by a heavy-duty leash while its owner was inside for more than an hour.

The dog, black with brown spots, was wearing a pink collar with a tag that said “Casey,” and its owner’s phone number.

Door open, game system missing
A resident of the 2800 block of Fourth came home to find his front door open and his video game system missing about 7 p.m. Jan. 4.

The man had left the door locked when he left.

DCC fields suspicious calls
Downriver Central Dispatch has been receiving a string of suspicious 911 calls in the last two months.

The calls, the last of which occurred just after midnight Jan. 6, come from an unactivated cell phone and repeat for more than an hour. Sometimes the caller mumbles something, other times, nothing is said.

The cell phone was traced to an address in the 1600 block of 16th, but when a police officer is dispatched there, no one ever answers. The calls, however, stop anytime an officer reports there.

Witnesses see tire slashing
Residents of the 2000 block of Third reported seeing someone slash the tires of a neighbor’s car while they were sitting on their front porch about 11:30 p.m. Jan. 6.

The man, described as white, 6 feet tall, and wearing a black hat and jacket, slashed all four tires on a silver car parked several houses down from the witnesses with a large knife before continuing west on Ford.

The vehicle owner said she had received several threats from a former boyfriend who matched the description of the suspect.

(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)

She said while loading groceries into her car, she felt a tug on her brown leather purse and noticed a black man had taken it off his shoulder and was walking to his car, parked two spaces away.

She screamed and got the attention of another shopper, who got the license plate number, which was traced back to a Taylor man.

Vandals hit seminary
An employee of Detroit Theological Seminary, 4801 Allen Road, reported someone had smashed the window to his office sometime before 10:08 p.m. Dec. 30.

He said the window had been broken previously.

No entry was gained. Damage is estimated at $500.

College sees theft
A storage shed in Baker College, 4500 Enterprise Drive, was broken into sometime before 8:34 a.m. Jan. 1.

The storage shed door lock eyelets were cut and the door lock was missing.

Missing were a hydraulic pipe bender, a portable bandsaw, a mechanical crimper, two hammer drills and a pipe bender.

Dearborn
Company vehicle stolen
Officers are looking for a black 2004 Chevrolet Malibu that was stolen about 7:41 p.m. Dec. 31 from Corrigan Moving Systems, 2000 Westwood St.

A manager said the company car was parked near the southwest corner of the parking lot and surrounded by a 6-feet-high chain-link fence. He said several employees have access to the car, which was unlocked, but no one was authorized to take it.

He said the vehicle also was taken in November along with the key, but both were returned a few days later.

Car damaged by unknown vandal
Police are searching for suspects who damaged a 1997 Geo sometime before 4 a.m. Jan. 1.

The victim said nothing was taken but the driver’s-side front and back windows were smashed.

She said a neighbor saw someone in a dark green or blue Ford Explorer drive down the street and damage the windows.

Dearborn Heights
Theft nets thousands in comic books, guns
A box of assorted comic books valued at $9,000 and five guns ($5,600) were stolen sometime before 8:50 p.m. Dec. 30 from a house in the 5000 block of Polk.

The victim said he was out of the house for a short time when he discovered the back door was forced open and glass for a cabinet in the front bedroom, where the guns were kept, was broken. In the basement, the victim said the suspects took the comics and also unsuccessfully tried to open a safe.

Home invasion suspects caught in the act
Officers arrested three Detroit residents after they were allegedly caught about 1 p.m. Jan. 2 removing a water tank from a house in the 8000 block of Riverdale.

Officers also found wires and copper piping of an indeterminate value in a 1996 Ford belonging to one of the suspects parked in the driveway.

A neighbor said he saw the side door open and from his upstairs bedroom window saw one of the suspects crawling through a hallway. Officers entered through the side door and heard scraping and banging sounds coming from the basement.

All three suspects were arrested without incident.

Officers found the water tank dragged about 15 feet to the stairs and water on the basement floor. Faucet handles were also found in the coat pocket of one of the suspects.

The vehicle’s owner said an employee of a real estate agency gave him a key to the house to see if he wanted to buy it. Officers called the employee, who said he did not know the suspect.

Wheels, tires taken
Tires and wheels of an indeterminate value were stolen sometime before 6:41 a.m. Dec. 31 from a house in the 10 block of Eden Park.

The victim said her 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe was in the parking lot overnight.

In the morning, she found the sport utility vehicle on blocks with the wheels and tires missing.

Neighbors reported seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

Jewelry stolen
Rings valued at $2,400 were stolen sometime before 5 p.m. Dec. 30 from a house in the 6000 block of Drexel.

The victim said she returned home and found the side door open.

She said the thieves went through various jewelry boxes in three rooms and took the rings.

Lincoln Park
Drunk nabbed for stealing scooter
A 40-year-old father pointed police in the direction of a drunken driver who stole his 8-year-old daughter’s scooter Jan. 1.

The man’s daughter and a 10-year-old friend rode their scooters to the playground of Foote Elementary School, 3250 Abbott, and were on the swings when two men in a blue Chevrolet pickup truck pulled into the parking lot and began spinning “donuts” on the pavement, each time coming closer to the girls on the swings.

The children walked to a more open area and called the 8-year-old’s father on a cell phone. While waiting for the man to drive from home, she watched the driver stop, grab her scooter and put it in the rear of the truck. The Chevy was leaving as the girl’s father arrived, and he followed south on Abbott to Emmons, and stayed with the truck when it parked near Youth Center Park.

The father and the pickup truck driver both got out of their vehicles, and the father told police the driver appeared to have recently been in a fight, with fat lips and blood-stained knuckles. The father asked for the scooter back, which the driver told his passenger to do since the father had a license plate number for the truck.

There was no further confrontation, and police went to the suspect’s listed address. He was, police reported, “highly intoxicated and appeared to have been assaulted quite some time prior.”

The man was issued a citation and is expected to appear in 25th District Court Jan. 23 to face charges of larceny, non-aggravated assault and reckless driving.

Thieves ransack home
Police were called to the 1700 block of Old Goddard Road Monday afternoon by a neighbor watching three young Hispanic men carting valuables out of a house.

The neighbor called police about 3:30 p.m. and said he saw two men he knew did not live at the house carry out a television set, which they put inside a gray Ford Taurus. The men soon left, and the neighbor lost sight of the vehicle on Northline Road.

Responding officers observed a side door that had been kicked in. The homeowners soon arrived, and told police they left the house about three hours earlier. Inspecting the home, they reported as missing the Visio TV valued at $350, a $250 DVD player, and assorted electronics and jewelry.

Police are investigating descriptions of the vehicle and suspects.

Duel car thefts start new year
Within eight hours, two vehicles left running while the owners ran inside were stolen from driveways late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.

Police were called to the 400 block of Council shortly after 10 p.m. Monday, and to the 400 block of Mayflower Avenue at about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, where vehicle owners told similar stories of having started the cars then stepping back inside, leaving the keys in the ignition of the running vehicle.

On Council, one or more thieves took off with a white 1994 GMC Suburban valued at $1,000; on Mayflower a 2003 Ford Explorer valued at $8,000 was taken, likely by a suspect who rode to the home on a blue bicycle that was left behind.

Descriptions of both vehicles were entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.

Southgate
Unlocked SUV invites thieves
Police were called to a house in the 12000 block of Pearl shortly after 10 a.m. Dec. 23, to investigate the theft of a global positioning system unit from an unlocked 2004 Chevy Blazer.

The 28-year-old vehicle owner told police the vehicle was unlocked in the driveway when parked the night before, and in the morning he discovered the theft of a global positioning system unit valued at $200, along with an estimated $600 worth of CDs.

Police discovered no evidence or sign of forced entry.

Taylor
Security cameras stolen
Police hope recordings captured by stolen security cameras will help them find thieves who targeted Van Born Radiator, 26633 Van Born, sometime around midnight Dec. 28.

The business owner called police and said that three security cameras mounted to the building, two on the north side and one on the east, were stolen sometime between 11:45 p.m. Dec. 28 and 12:30 a.m. Dec. 29. Police were reviewing captured footage for evidence.

Burglar loots house for computer, cash
A woman who left her house briefly Dec. 27 returned to find her house ransacked and the loss of a computer, camcorder and other valuables.

The woman told police she returned to her house in the 16000 block of Weddel Street at about 6:20 p.m. after having been away for less than an hour. She discovered the side door open, and responding police observed that the door was kicked in and the house ransacked.

A detailed list was being prepared, but the woman told police the burglars took a computer valued at $650, a video game and accessories valued at $300, a camcorder, cash and jewelry.

Trenton
Cash taken from nursing home
A worker at Aberdeen Nursing Home, 5500 Fort St., told police that sometime between 6 and 7 a.m. Jan. 1, an estimated $275 in cash was taken from her purse.

The woman said the purse was left in a hallway within sight of security cameras. Police were trying to contact the nursing home staff to review the footage.

Melvindale
Vandals strike church
Phone lines were found cut to Faith Tabernacle church, 1743 Allen Road, about 3 p.m. Tuesday.

The pastor said the damage occurred sometime between Dec. 30 and that time, and that his Cadillac, parked on the side of the church, also had been keyed.

A week earlier, someone had placed a padlock on the gate to the parking lot, preventing him from opening it.

Cough syrup thief strikes
A 39-year-old resident was cited for retail fraud after allegedly attempting to steal 18 boxes of cough medicine from Dollar General, 18276 Allen, about 10 a.m. Monday.

The woman allegedly concealed the medicine in her sweatpants and attempted to leave the store. The store manager detained her and asked her to remove the items from her pants. She removed two, and he asked for the rest, at which point she threw more bottles on the ground and ran from the store, before slipping on ice and falling outside the store, where the manager detained her until officers arrived.

While en route to the police station, the woman faked a seizure, which
she later told police was to avoid being “stuck in jail.”

The medicine was valued at $96.

Tires slashed
A resident of the 18900 block of Allen found the right front and rear tires of her vehicle slashed about 8:14 p.m. Dec. 31.

No model information was available for the vehicle.

The resident suspects her mother, with whom she had argued that day.

Riverview
Burglar nabs pizza profits
Money was found missing from Hungry Howie’s Pizza, 19812 Fort St., about 10:30 a.m. Monday.

An employee found the cash bag missing from the safe when she opened the store about that time. A handle was missing from the rear door of the business. Nothing else appeared to be out of order.

Fencing knocked down
A resident of the 17000 block of Galade reported her fence was knocked down about 9:30 a.m. Monday.

It appeared to have been run over by a car.

Wyandotte
Three arrested in brawl
Three people were arrested during a 15-person fight on Maple Street about 4:15 a.m. Jan. 1.

The fight apparently started when one man took a cab another thought was intended for him when both were leaving a nearby bar.

A 29-year-old Wyandotte man was arrested for disorderly person after yelling at officers after they asked him to quiet down. When they asked a second time, he cursed at them and told them to arrest him, rolling onto his stomach and placing his hands behind his back.

A 21-year-old Wyandotte man was arrested for disorderly person and obstructing justice after screaming threats at another person involved in the fight. When officers tried to arrest him, he resisted and pepper spray was applied.

A 23-year-old Lincoln Park woman was arrested after declining to sit on a curb when instructed to and swearing at officers.

Traffic stops yield illegal aliens
Three illegal aliens were apprehended during a traffic stop on Biddle about 9:30 p.m. Dec. 31.

A 2002 Kia Sportage was stopped near Bennett about that time when officers saw it weaving back and forth while driving south on Biddle. They also noticed a cracked windshield that obstructed the driver’s view.

The driver could produce only paperwork stating he was from Honduras. U.S. Border Patrol agents determined he and two other passengers were in the country illegally and the three men were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol.

GPS unit stolen from car
Two vehicles parked in the 500 block of Riverside were burglarized sometime before 6 a.m. Monday.

A 1999 Ford Expedition and a 1987 Ford F-150 had been rummaged through and the radios in both had been disconnected.

A Global Positioning System unit and various papers had been stolen.

Family feud
A fight between two sisters outside of one’s house in the 3300 block of 21st Street Dec. 30 left the homeowner with a bloody nose, facial swelling and clumps of hair missing.

About 3 p.m. that day, officers responded to the house, where the woman said her sister, a 34-year-old Lincoln Park woman, barged in unannounced after the two had argued via text messages. A physical fight ensued, and the Wyandotte woman was allegedly dragged out of the house by her hair and beaten.

The sister said she only slapped the woman, but later admitted to punching her and pulling her hair. The Wyandotte woman said she refused to fight back as her sister is pregnant. No injuries were found on the Lincoln Park woman.

The women were told to not speak to each other for the rest of the night and warned that criminal charges may be pursued.

(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet)

A neighbor told police a suspicious man entered the house, located across the street. The caller said the man turned off the porch light by unscrewing the bulb and closed the blinds after entering the house.

The homeowner told officers a bedroom window found open on the southeast side of the house was closed when he left. He said the money belonged to a visiting relative who was using the room.

An attempt to track the suspect stopped in the area of Barrie Street and Hemlock Avenue, where a set of keys were found.

Dearborn Heights
Thief takes propane tanks from gas station
About 12 propane tanks of an indeterminate value were taken about 3:15 a.m. Dec. 20 from a Marathon gas station, 20015 Ann Arbor Trail.

The station’s owner said surveillance video shows a black man driving a maroon Chevrolet Monte Carlo with a sun roof and a missing passenger-side wheel cover cutting open the cage where the tanks were held and placing them in the car. The man also sawed off the catalytic converter from under a 2001 Chevrolet van parked in the lot.

The owner said the same man allegedly stole a catalytic converter from a different vehicle in the same parking lot Dec. 13.

Kitchen utensils stolen from camper
A knife set and silverware valued together at $100 were stolen about 4 p.m. Dec. 20 from a recreational vehicle parked in the 26000 block of Van Born.

The victim said sometime before Dec. 20, thieves broke a door window to a 1975 Travco motor home and stole the goods.

Thieves get away with electronics
A laptop computer, an Mp3 player and two television sets of indeterminate value were stolen sometime before 8:15 p.m. Dec. 20 from a house in the 8000 block of Riverside.

The victim said she returned home about 8:30 p.m. and found the side door and the rear glass sliding door open. There were no signs of forced entry and the victim said she thought she locked the doors.

A neighbor said she saw two men in dark clothing standing in the houses’ driveway about 7 p.m. They entered the house, but she didn’t see them carrying anything. She told officers they left in a dark-colored sport utility vehicle.

Thousands worth of jewelry stolen
Assorted jewelry valued at $5,000 was taken about 8 p.m. Dec. 20 from a house in the 7000 block of Gulley Road.

The victim said she returned home about 7:45 p.m. and found her bedroom window open. Jewelry boxes in the bedroom were found thrown around and emptied.

Lincoln Park
Christmas thief strikes
The owner of a 2008 Chrysler 300 told Lincoln Park police that one or more thieves broke into the vehicle, stole a $1,500 navigation system and caused another $1,500 worth of damage.

Police were called to a house in the 1500 block of Cleveland about 9 a.m. Dec. 25, to report the attempted theft of his vehicle. Police observed the car in the driveway with a damaged dashboard and missing navigation system and radio.

Melvindale
Poker thieves nabbed
A Chicago man; a Detroit man; and a Harvey, Mich., man were arrested after allegedly breaking into two video poker machines at a bar in the 17100 block of Allen about 3 p.m. Dec. 23.

The men, who matched the descriptions given by the bartender, were found in another bar later that day and were arrested.

Car vandalized
A Ford Taurus parked in the 23900 block of Outer Drive was keyed sometime before 8:20 p.m. Dec. 23.

A large “X” was carved into the hood of the car, which had been parked in an assigned parking spot while its owner visited a friend who lived in the complex. The owner said a person, for whom a description was not available, approached her friend the day prior and demanded they move the vehicle. When she returned the next morning, she saw the damage.

Officers requested the friend follow up with further details about the person in the parking lot.

Riverview
Vandal strikes vehicles
Three vehicles parked outside a house in the 17400 block of Hamann were scratched sometime between 11 p.m. Dec. 17 and 6 a.m. Dec. 18.

The rear window of a 2003 Ford Windstar was scratched along with front windshields on a 2008 Dodge pickup truck and Dodge four-door car. The vehicles belonged to the homeowner and houseguests.

Total damage is estimated at about $2,000.

Money taken from machines
More than $1,000 in quarters was found stolen from 10 vandalized washing machines in an apartment complex in the 19300 block of Fort Dec. 14.

About 9:45 a.m. that day, the apartment manager contacted police after a resident called to report the machine in her building was tipped over. A search of all buildings revealed nine more machines had been vandalized.

Marijuana found on driver
More than 40 grams of marijuana were found during a traffic stop of a vehicle driving west on Pennsylvania about 8:30 p.m. Dec. 17.

The driver, an 18-year-old resident, parked on the shoulder in the 13100 block of Pennsylvania in a marked “No Parking” zone to pick up a friend when officers stopped him.

A search of the vehicle revealed the marijuana in clear plastic sandwich bags stowed underneath the driver’s seat and in a dashboard compartment of the vehicle.

He was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Taylor
Break in nets cash, cigarettes
Police responded to an early morning alarm at Mitch’s Party Store, 16950 Allen Road, Dec. 20, where one or more burglars made off with an estimated $1,730 in cash and merchandise.

With assistance from the Brownstown Township police, officers responded to a 3:48 a.m. alarm and, upon arrival, discovered the front door had been pried open, with clear evidence of tool marks near the lock. The store manager said that at least 15 cartons of cigarettes were taken, along with cash and other merchandise.

The owner said there was no working surveillance camera.

Laptop stolen from school
The holiday break from studies began with a break-in on Dec. 21 at the Baptist Park School. After the students’ final day Tuesday, staff discovered Wednesday morning that the rear doors had been forced open and at least one laptop computer stolen.

Responding police observed the damaged, pried-open rear door and several rooms that had been ransacked. Staff said that small amounts of cash were also taken.

Police reported that the school was targeted recently with a similar break-in, and that a suspect is being investigated.

Trenton
Boat burglarized in lot
A Trenton angler reported to police the theft of more than $8,000 worth of fishing equipment — including a $1,500 global positioning system unit— from his boat that was stored for the season.

Police responded to a call from U Stow N Lock storage facility, 1260 W. Jefferson, about 4:15 p.m. Dec. 22 from a man reporting the theft of equipment from his Team Pursuit boat that was stored in the yard. Police observed that part of the covering was removed, and a lock was cut off the cabin door.

The missing equipment includes several salmon and walleye rods, trolling riggers and reels.

The man said he last checked on the boat in July, and was uncertain when the equipment might have been taken. Reportedly the storage lot fence was repaired over the summer, and the victim believed that his boat had been moved during that time.

Wyandotte
Christmas Eve ax man arrested
An ax-weilding man was arrested for disorderly conduct after yelling outside of an apartment door about 9:30 p.m. Dec. 24.

The 27-year-old resident, who police said seemed “highly intoxicated” said he was looking for his sister, who he believed lived in the apartment. He said he found the ax on his way there and thought it would be “cool to take home.”

The man registered a blood alcohol content of 0.00 percent but told police he had taken prescription anxiety medication.

Contact could not be made with the apartment occupant.

Gas tank filled
A resident of an apartment complex in the 190 block of Ford said someone put a sandy material in the gas tank of his 1996 Buick Rivera sometime Dec. 13.

The man said at about 11 a.m. Dec. 14, he was driving away from his apartment when his car began to malfunction. He took it to a local garage, where the maroon-colored substance was found in the tank.

The substance is similar to material in potted plants around the complex and was also found in the man’s parking spot.

He suspects his wife, with whom he is separating.

(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)

Four vehicles and one garage door were reported marked with spray paint, some of which contained vulgar language and drawings.

Most of the spray paint reported was red, but black and tan also were reported.

Gas station vandalized
Someone smashed out the west window of Marathon Gas Station, 9121 Allen, sometime before noon Dec. 16.

Wires were also found cut to the business, which was closed for several weeks.

It appears as though entry was not gained to the building, as nothing was out of place or missing.

A key holder could not be located, but the window was boarded up.

Foot chase leads to arrest
A 46-year-old Detroit woman was arrested about 4 p.m. Dec. 17 after allegedly running from police after shoplifting clothing from Old Navy, 3260 Fairlane Drive.

The woman allegedly stole clothes valued at more than $480 and concealed them in a Target shopping bag. When a loss prevention officer confronted her, she threw the bag of clothes at him and ran toward a restaurant in the shopping center, where she was apprehended.

Dearborn
Purse stolen outside toy store
A purse of undetermined value containing credit cards, identification, a cell phone and a digital music player was stolen sometime before 2 p.m. Dec. 15 from the parking lot of Toys R Us, 24411 Michigan Ave.

The victim said she placed the purse on the back of her car, which was parked in the first parking spot in front of the exit doors, as she unloaded merchandise.

She said someone took the purse when she wasn’t looking.

Thieves get away with credit cards, purse
A black purse of undetermined value containing credit cards was stolen about 7:30 a.m. Dec. 14 from a car parked in the driveway of a house in the 1000 block of Highview.

The victim said the purse was in her car while it was warming up. The car was unlocked and she did not see who took the purse.

Activity on her accounts revealed both cards were used at various area gas stations, but she had no statements and could not verify where they were used.

Dearborn Heights
Armed robbery at gas station
Officers are searching for two men who robbed a Shell gas station, 5624 N. Telegraph about 10:18 p.m. Dec. 18.

The victim said two masked men came into the station. One of the suspects, who wore a black jacket and jeans and spoke in Arabic, pointed a black handgun at the victim and told him to turn off the lights.

The suspect walked the victim over to the cash register and took an undetermined amount of money before fleeing in an unknown direction.

Thieves rob tanning salon at gunpoint
Two armed gunmen stole about $270, two cell phones, a wallet and car keys from Skin Deep Tanning, 25411 West Warren, about 6:36 p.m. Dec. 15.

The victim said she was sitting at the front counter when two black men in their 20s or 30s, under 6 feet tall with medium builds and wearing black clothing, gloves and ski masks, walked into the store.

She said one of the men was holding a small black automatic pistol. He demanded money and her cell phone before ordering her to lie down.

As the suspects were leaving, they forced a customer, who was leaving a tanning booth, back into the tanning room where they took his cell phone, wallet and car keys before fleeing in a westerly direction.

Package thief strikes
Officers are searching for a suspect who stole a package of undetermined contents about 2:39 p.m. Dec. 14 from a house in the 6000 block of Plainfeld.

A witness said the suspect, described as a Middle Eastern boy in his teens, got out of a black Lincoln with silver trim and tinted windows and took the package.

The victim said she was expecting deliveries from a cable shopping channel and didn’t know what items were in the package.

A check of the license plate revealed the car was registered to an employee of Zaire Auto Sale, Inc. in Detroit. Employees of the company said the car is owned by another employee and his teenage son drives it.

Replacement part taken from house
A remote control for a toy car valued at $50 was stolen about 10:40 a.m. Dec. 14 from a house in the 7000 block of North Charlesworth.

The victim’s neighbor said a vehicle stopped in front of the victim’s house. An unknown man got out of the vehicle’s passenger side, walked to the front porch and took the package. The neighbor said the driver and passenger were either white or Middle Eastern men.

The victim said he contacted officials at United Parcel Service, who confirmed the remote control was delivered that day.

Lincoln Park
Smash and grab burglar nabbed
An early morning alarm kicked off a foot chase Wednesday involving several officers and a K-9 tracker before a convenience store burglar was caught.

Broken glass triggered the alarm at D & B Market, 1086 Dix about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. The first responding officer observed a smashed front window, but did not see anyone inside. Waiting for store management to arrive, the officer heard a noise from inside, and saw a man jump over the counter and out the broken window.

Told to stop by the two officers, the man dropped several grocery bags — filled with an estimated $800 worth of instant lottery tickets — and ran north on Dix. As he ran, lottery tickets fell from his pockets.

The first responding officers chased the suspect, through the parking lot of Rising Star Motel, 1028 Dix and into an alley between Council Avenue and Montie Road.

Additional officers and a K-9 unit arrived, and the suspect was located hiding under a backyard tree in the 200 block of Montie. The suspect did not comply with police orders, and the police dog was deployed; the suspect ran from the trees and jumped a fence before being caught and tackled by officers. The suspect was taken to the Lincoln Park Police Department for processing, and at press time was awaiting arraignment in 25th District Court.

Quick thief takes off in Grand Prix
The owner of a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix valued at $3,000 left the vehicle running in the driveway of his home in the 700 block of Mill Street Monday evening, long enough to run inside for a restroom break and also for one or more thieves to take off with the car.

The man said the vehicle was paid in full and the only keys were the ones inside. A description of the car was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.

Melvindale
Present, car missing
A Scrooge allegedly made off with a wrapped Christmas present and the victim’s car from a house in the 19000 block of Wall Street Dec. 18.

After leaving about 6:30 a.m. that day, the woman’s mother stopped by to find the car, of unspecified year and model, missing.

The house’s only occupant was the woman’s boyfriend, who was home sick and apparently left the front door opened. The car keys were left on a table and the gift was also missing. A back door that had been locked was found opened.

Burglar leaves behind wallet
A thief allegedly stole a lawn mower and weed trimmer from a storage shed in the 19100 block of Harlow Tuesday, but left behind a wallet with possible identification.

The wallet contained receipts, an address book and a citation for possession of burglary tools from Melvindale police.

Attempted break-in thwarted
A neighbor in the 2700 block of Margaret Avenue stopped an alleged burglary in progress about 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The man said he saw a white man in his 20s with long brown “puffy” hair attempting to pound a wooden board into the rear door wall of the house to pry it open.

The man questioned the suspect, who said he was trying to get into his house. When the neighbor said he knew the man did not live there, he ran to the front of the house where he was picked up by a white female in a tan or gold Ford Taurus or Mercury Sable.

Riverview
Door opened, nothing missing
The rear door of Nail Designs, 19178 Fort St., was found pried open about 9 a.m. Dec. 12, but nothing was found missing.

Unspecified damage was found on the door frame.

Southgate
Vehicle stolen, another recovered
Police found one stolen car when they answered a call of another missing vehicle Monday evening.

A woman attending a dinner party at Chuck E. Cheese, 15300 Dix Toledo, locked and left her 2001 silver Chrysler Concorde, valued at $10,000, in the east parking lot about 6:30 p.m. She discovered the vehicle missing at 9 p.m., and called police.

Responding officers were shown the parking space where the victim last saw her car; a running, vacant Dodge Stratus was in the adjacent space. The Stratus’ ignition system had been punched in and the car was started without a key.

Police confirmed through the Law Enforcement Information Network that the Stratus was stolen, had the vehicle impounded, and entered the description of the stolen Concorde into LEIN.

Taylor
Water system stolen
The maintenance man of a mobile home park told police that sometime overnight Dec. 16 one or more thieves broke into a pumphouse and stole a backflow preventer, cutting off the park’s residents from water.

The reporting man told police he discovered the theft shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday. The door to the pumphouse had been forced open, and various brass pipes were stolen along with the backflow preventer. Police did not report an estimated value of the hardware, although the maintenance man said that thousands of dollars worth of lost water resulted from the theft.

Trenton
Chase leads to abandoned, stolen car
When police approached a white two-door Lincoln with its lights on at the Hass Park Building, 86 Washington St. near Sibley, a quick computer check showed the registered operator as having a suspended license.

Patrol officers approached the vehicle, which took off and turned into an alley south of Sibley Road. Police followed, and after turning the corner they saw the Lincoln parked but abandoned.

With assistance from Riverview police, the area was searched. A resident reported seeing two men running south from the alley through backyards on Cleveland and New York streets.

Two wallets were found in the abandoned Lincoln, containing IDs for a 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man — neither belonging to the registered owner. Also found were one open and four unopened beer cans.

The Lincoln was impounded and put on hold for the registered owner, whose father was contacted by police.

Wyandotte
Puncture marks, cross left at house
The owner of a vandalized vehicle also found a curious surprise on her lawn in the 1700 block of Electric about 11 a.m. Dec. 15.

A cement cross with a name and date was left on the front lawn. A check confirmed it was missing from Mount Carmel Cemetery, to which it was returned.

The driver’s-side rear tire of the woman’s 2001 Chevrolet Malibu also had been punctured.

Mother strikes daughter with car
A 17-year-old student at Roosevelt High School was allegedly struck by a car driven by her mother in the school’s parking lot about 7:45 a.m. Dec. 10.

The two had reportedly been in an argument when the mother was angered that she had to wake up to drive her daughter to school. The daughter said her mother drove erratically, failing to stop at stop signs, before pulling up to an alley near the rear of the school building.

When the student, who is pregnant, exited, the mother put the car in reverse and accelerated, causing the door to strike her.

A witness saw the girl fall to the ground and he assisted her. When questioned by police, the mother said she accidentally put the car in reverse.

(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)

The battery compartments were found open that day by a church maintenance employee and the wires had been pulled out.

The batteries are valued together at $600.

Armed robbery nets cash
An armed robber made off with an unknown amount of money from Little Ceasars Pizza, 23110 Dec. 8.

About 10 p.m. that day a man walked into the store and pulled out a handgun with a wood grip. He demanded the clerk give him the money and the clerk handed over all that was in the register. The man then allegedly asked where the rest of the money was and the clerk responded that it was in the safe. The man then ran out of the store and was seen running east on Hamilton and getting into a two-tone sport utility vehicle that turned north onto Larme and left the scene.

It was unknown if there were any other occupants of the vehicle but the clerk said the man got in on the passenger side.

Security footage was being transferred to police at the time of the report.

The robber was described as a black man, about 6 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 2 inches tall and wearing a blue long sleeve shirt and a black vest and a black ski mask covering all but his eyes

Short absence leads to break in
A resident of the 17400 block of Russell arrived home about 8 p.m. Dec. 10 after being away for less than two hours to find his house had been broken into.

The front door was kicked in and the house was ransacked. A computer, keyboard and recording equipment were missing.

The rear sliding door to the bedroom had been left open by the intruders, police said.

No evidence was left at the scene.

Tire refill invites purse theft
A customer of a Shell Gas station at the intersection of Quandt and Southfield roads reported her purse was stolen about 3 p.m. Dec. 12.

The victim said she sat the designer purse, valued at $375, on top of her car parked on the south side of the building while she attempted to put air in her tires. A man grabbed her purse and ran west on Southfield.

The purse contained the woman’s credit and debit cards, driver’s license and Social Security card.

There were no witnesses and surveillance footage did not capture the alleged incident.

The thief was described as a white man about 18 years old, standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

Dearborn
Thief gets away with $120
A man allegedly stole about $120 from a shopper at Burlington Coat Factory, 16301 Ford Road, about 5:20 p.m. Dec. 12.

The victim said she was approached by the suspect, described as a black man wearing a brown sweater and black knit cap, who offered her a discount on her purchase. He asked for the cash up front, left to allegedly complete the transaction and did not return.

The victim said she thought the suspect worked for the store, but said he was not wearing anything identifying him as an employee.

Van stolen from driveway
A 2003 green Chrysler Town & Country was stolen about 9:14 p.m. Dec. 10 from the driveway of a house in the 5000 block of Horger.

The victim said he stopped by his mother’s house at about 8:30 p.m. He parked the vehicle in the driveway and forgot to lock his doors. When he went to leave, he found the van missing.

Change stolen from car
Between $5 and $10 in change was stolen sometime before 7:15 p.m. Dec. 11 from the driveway of a house in the 6000 block of Reuter.

The victim said he discovered the car’s driver’s-side window shattered. His belongings were scattered, with only the change missing.

Neighbors who live next to the victim’s driveway said they didn’t see or hear anything suspicious.

Dearborn Heights
Home invasion leads to pot bust
About 30 marijuana plants were found about 3 p.m. Dec. 11 in a house in the 5000 block of Merrick.

Officers responded to a caller who reported an unidentified pickup truck backing into the driveway, where a white man was seen taking a furnace from the house. Officers found the furnace and ductwork of an undetermined value in the open bed of the truck.

The man told officers he was alone and had a key and permission to be inside. While searching the house, officers found marijuana plants throughout the house.

Officers also found a clear plastic bag containing 30 acetaminophen pills in the suspect’s pocket.

Thief takes Christmas gifts
Jewelry valued at $30 and boots ($40) were stolen about 11a.m. Dec. 7 from an apartment in the 23000 block of West Warren.

The items were gift wrapped and left under her Christmas tree.

The victim said she left the apartment sometime before 11:30 a.m. When she returned, she discovered someone got in the apartment through a siding glass door and took the items.

Ladder taken from yard
A 16-foot extension ladder valued at $189 was taken sometime before 6 p.m. Dec. 17 from a house in the 6000 block of Heyden.

The victim said the suspects also stole an undetermined amount of scrap aluminum from his backyard.

Electronics missing after home invasion
A 42-inch television and a video game system of an undetermined value were stolen sometime before 6 p.m. from a house in the 6000 block of Mayburn.

The victim said she came home from work and found a bedroom window smashed out and the items missing.

Lincoln Park
Frat pack nabs Jesus
A plastic infant Jesus statue was among the items grabbed by three would-be fraternity members during a string of petty thefts that resulted in citations for larceny and concealing stolen property.

Police officers monitoring traffic near Victoria and Fort streets shortly after midnight Dec. 11, watched a blue 1998 Buick Regal circle the parking lot of Downriver Tire, 1014 Fort St. After stopping in front of the closed business, one of the car’s three passengers got out, grabbed something from in front of the store, and jumped back in. Officers followed south on Kaiser and west onto Montie before pulling the Buick over.

The backseat was filled with a plastic infant Jesus statue with electric cord attached, a pedestal ashtray, a tool box, and a wooden paddle labeled OT (Theta Tau).

The paddle marked the Wayne State University fraternity the car’s three occupants — a 20-year-old Lincoln Park Man and two 19-year-old men from Warren and Detroit— were trying to join. The stolen items were parts of a scavenger hunt list, the men said. The ashtray was from Downriver Tire, and the Jesus statue was from a front yard of a residence.

The suspects were processed at the Police Department, and are scheduled to appear in 25th District Court at 9 a.m. Monday.

Drive-through thievery
Lincoln Park Police investigated a burglary at Kentucky Fried Chicken, 1217 Dix Ave., after an alarm sounded at 2 a.m. Dec. 11.

Responding officers and the restaurant’s manager entered the building and observed the drive-through window had been forced open. The office, cash drawers and counter areas were in disarray, and an unspecified amount of cash was missing.

The manager told police that the surveillance camera revealed little due to the lighting conditions. Officers collected evidence from near the window, the office and counters. Detectives were following leads as to the suspect’s identity.

Smash-and-grab nets TV, more
One or more burglars smashed the rear window of a house in the 1800 block of Capitol Avenue Monday afternoon, and left with a 42-inch flat-screen TV and other items.

Police responded to the woman’s call shortly after 3 p.m., and observed that the patio door was smashed with a rock. Inside, trash was thrown around and rooms were ransacked; the victim was to provide police a complete list of stolen items.

Store hit for smokes
Someone took a mini Louisville Slugger baseball bat to the window of Vegas Market, 1470 Fort St., and took off with up to 40 cartons of cigarettes shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Officers found the small bat outside the window, and observed the damage to the window. The store owner told police an estimated 40 cartons of cigarettes, valued at $3,000, was missing. A complete list of missing merchandise was to be provided.

The store security camera was not functioning, the owner said. All doors appeared locked and secured.

Melvindale
TVs taken
Thirty-two televisions were stolen from the storage room of a motel in the 17300 block of Raupp Dec. 8.

About 10:36 a.m. that day, the owner said he went into the storage room where the televisions were kept and found them missing. A window on the south of the building was broken out.

The owner suspects two former residents who worked as handymen for him and helped load the televisions into the storage room. Both had recently moved out.

Storage unit burglarized
An air compressor was stolen from a storage unit in the basement of an apartment complex in the 23900 block of Outer Drive about 4 p.m. Dec. 11.

The storage unit’s owner said someone had entered the fenced-in unit by forcing the gate latch aside. The air compressor is valued at $100.

Truck theft nets GPS unit
A Mr. Rooter truck was burglarized while parked in the 19500 block of Roger Avenue about 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The driver’s-side window of the truck had been smashed out and a global positioning system unit was missing. Pieces of the broken window were found on the ground.

Southgate
SUV taken overnight
A locked 2011 Fort F-150, valued at $20,000, was taken from a driveway in the 13000 block of Veronica, as reported to police shortly before 7 a.m. Dec. 10.

The victim said the sport utility vehicle was locked and all keys accounted for when it was last seen at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 9. Police reported seeing tracks leading east on Veronica toward southbound Fort Street. The vehicle’s information and description was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.

Taylor
Burglar takes bonus, jewelry
A family spent 45 minutes away from their house in the 23000 block of Baker Street for a shopping trip, during which time a burglar broke in and stole a reported $3,800 in cash — the victim’s holiday bonus.

Taylor Police were called to the house at about 10:15 p.m. Dec. 9. The family left about 9:30 p.m., and returned to find a back window open and screen broken. From an upstairs bedroom, someone stole the cash and a jewelry box containing an unspecified list of items.

Responding officers noted the broken window, and checked the area for evidence. A detailed list of stolen items was to be provided.

Trenton
Items, info taken from apartment
Selective thieves broke into an apartment in the 1800 block of South Trenton Drive shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday, taking the victim’s bank statements and other financial documents, medication and an assortment of food, books and other items.

Police responded to the call from the Brentwood Apartments, and noted pry marks surrounding the doorknob. The 47-year-old man living in the apartment told police that he’d heard similar noises in the past, and that the listed items went missing over a period of two or three months. After hearing someone turning the doorknob recently, he looked through the peephole, which was covered from the outside, and heard people running away from his door.

Wyandotte
Lanterns vandalized
A resident of the 1500 block of 13th said someone stripped her front porch lanterns and damaged the bases.

The damage was reported about 2 p.m. Tuesday but the homeowner, who recently purchased the house, said the damage probably occurred overnight.

Fraudulent tax form filed
A resident reported Dec. 8 that someone allegedly filed a tax return using her Social Security number.

The woman said she had waited six months for her federal tax return and when she contacted Internal Revenue Service representatives about it, they said a return had been filed using her Social Security number but another address.

She was given a fraud form to fill out and checked her credit reports, but saw no fraudulent purchases.

(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)

About noon that day, officers responded to an alarm at the house, which the caller, a neighbor, said the suspect had just entered.

The man allegedly had knocked on the neighbor’s door across the street, and when she did not answer, smoked a cigarette on her porch before walking to the house across the street and disappearing up the driveway.

A suspect matching the description was found by Southgate police exiting a house in the 11100 block of Dorchester, where the computers were located. Cigarettes matching those left on the caller’s porch were found on him.

Rings missing
Four rings were discovered missing from a house in the 7200 block of Winona Dec. 12.

The homeowner said he last saw the rings, two gold bands valued at $220 each, a white gold and sapphire ring valued at $258 and a white gold and diamond ring valued at $577.

He last saw them on Nov. 17. There were no signs of forced entry to his house.

Dearborn Heights
Grinch ruins Christmas decorations
A homeowner reported at 9:47 a.m. Dec. 5 that someone has repeatedly damaged the Christmas decorations on his house in the 3000 block of Vasser.

The victim said that over the past few weeks, someone cut the decorations’ electrical cords, causing about $300 in damage.

The victim said he will continue to fix the display and will press charges if a suspect is caught.

Patient tries to steal medical equipment
A patient seeking medical treatment tried to steal equipment about 10 a.m. Dec. 4 from First Choice Urgent Care, 23822 Ford Road.

An employee at the clinic said the patient came in seeking medical care and was taken to an examination room. When he left, an otoscope, a device used to check ears, was missing from a counter. A patient in the lobby later saw the suspect drop the instrument and watched it fall to the floor.

Clinic officials said they will not press charges, however the suspect is banned from the building.

Sisters report home invasion
A laptop computer and two cell phones of indeterminate value were stolen about 12:50 p.m. Dec. 5 from a house in the 20000 block of Whitlock.

The victims said they were home alone when a black male kicked in the rear door and asked the victim, a 14-year-old girl, and her sister if “Dave” was there.

The children said they didn’t know who “Dave” was, at which point the suspect demanded money and threatened them. According to the police report, they said they had no money, so the suspect took the phones and computer.

The victim said the suspect also tried unsuccessfully to remove a TV from the basement.

Items taken from car
Skating equipment, along with clothing, fitness equipment and a camera of indeterminate value were stolen sometime before 7 a.m. Dec. 4 from a silver 2003 Land Rover parked in the driveway of a house in the 4000 block of Tulane.

The victim said there was no damage to the sport utility vehicle and the victim believes the vehicle was unlocked.

Dearborn
Stolen car found in Detroit
A 1994 Honda Civic stolen sometime before 5 p.m. Dec. 5 from a parking lot in the 15000 block of Michigan Avenue was later found in Detroit.

The victim said the car was taken from the northwest corner of Walwit Street and Michigan Avenue. The victim said the car’s door locks were broken and could not be secured.

A law enforcement information network search revealed that a Special Operations officer ran the car’s license plate earlier in the day and discovered it was located in the the area of Warren Ave nue and Cicotte in Detroit.

Officers were notified and recovered the car.

Cash taken from daycare service
About $530 was taken from a petty cash box sometime before 1:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at Oakwood Adult Daycare, 3601 Pelham.

An employee said she keeps the money in a safe, but left it unlocked because she is the only one who handles the money. She last counted it Nov. 29. When she went back Dec. 2, the money was gone.

Piping missing from auto parts business
Copper plumbing valued at $500 and a water meter of indeterminate value were stolen sometime before 11:30 a.m. Dec. 3 from J&J Productions, 15360 S. Commerce Drive.

The company’s owner said he was out of town at the time of the robbery.

When he arrived at the building, he found the water meter and plumbing were cut off from the building’s exterior.

Nearby businesses also reported several larcenies of copper plumbing in the area.

Southgate
Truck taken from parking lot
A guest of Motel 6, 18777 Northline Road, reported to police the theft of a 1988 Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck valued at $5,000, sometime after 9:30 p.m. Dec. 3 and 7 a.m. Dec. 4.

The victim told police he parked in the motel parking lot, secured his vehicle and was in his room for the night. In the morning he found the truck, which had been locked, missing. Police observed broken glass on the pavement near where the vehicle was parked.

The truck’s description was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.

Lincoln Park
Two sought in gas station robbery
Lincoln Park Police are looking for two men responsible for an armed robbery at a Sunoco gas station, 3031 Fort St., shortly before 10 p.m. Monday.

According to the police report, the two suspects entered the store as the lone employee was closing up for the night. One approached the worker while the second waited near the door, seemingly as a lookout. The first suspect walked behind the counter, pointed a small, silver semiautomatic pistol and said, “Open the register and don’t touch anything.”

The register was opened and the first suspect grabbed a handful of currency, an unknown amount. Some of the bills were dropped as the suspect left the building. Both suspects ran south through an alley toward Mayflower Ave.

The suspects are described as either in their late teens or early 20s. The suspect inside the store was black, the one outside was not identified . Both wore hooded sweatshirts. The suspect inside the store wore a black face mask, gloves and hat.

Melvindale
Teen arrested for shirt theft
A 17-year-old Allen Park boy was arrested after allegedly stealing a T-shirt from the assistant principal of Melvindale High School Nov. 30.

The principal said he saw the boy going through a a box in the corner of his office about 11 a.m. that day. A red compression t-shirt with the word “Family” on the back had been hanging above it. The principal had purchased the shirt for his son.

When questioned, the teen first said he had bought the shirt at a local sports store, then said he had found it in the lost and found. The shirt was later found in the boys’ locker room.

Theft nets tools
Various tools were stolen from a detached garage in the 17100 block of Eddon sometime between 11 p.m. Dec. 3 and 9:45 a.m. Dec. 4.

The homeowner said the garage door’s locking mechanism was broken and secured with vice grips.

A detailed list of stolen items was being prepared.

Trenton
Boots and bag taken from porch
A woman reported to Trenton Police the theft of a parcel, received that day from United Parcel Service, containing a pair of Nine West leather boots and a black tote bag she’d ordered online.

The victim, a resident of the 4000 block of Grange, told police she was informed by UPS that a box was left on her porch on Monday sometime between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Riverview
Suspect sought in parking lot assault
Police are looking for a man who allegedly punched a 69-year-old woman in the stomach while she was taking out garbage in the parking lot of Pennbrook Place Apartments Dec. 2.

The man, described only as about 5 feet 10 inches tall and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt covering his head, allegedly punched her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground before running west.

The woman had no visible injuries and declined medical treatment at the scene. A K-9 officer could not track the man’s scent.

Break-in unsuccessful
Someone apparently attempted to break in to a house in the 14600 block of Shenandoah Dec. 1.

The homeowner said she left for work about 7:45 that morning and when she returned about 2 p.m. that day for lunch, she noticed the front door was damaged and had pry marks. No entry was gained. The damage is estimated at $200.

Taylor
Christmas thief strikes
A resident of the 8900 block of Dudley Avenue told police that sometime during the day Dec. 1, thieves broke into the house and stole cash, jewelry, gift cards and wrapped Christmas presents.

The victim told police that it was likely more than one suspect, as the amount of items taken were too much for one person to carry. Police found a few items in the yard that seemed to have been dropped. The woman told police she left home about 10:30 a.m., and when she returned at 8 p.m. she found a bedroom window had been smashed. Police found a brick near the window, and two window screens were found in the bushes by a neighbor.

The woman reported the theft of approximately $400 in cash, jewelry valued at $3,000, gift cards totaling $800, and an estimated $500 worth of wrapped presents.

Cash stolen from apartment
A woman who moved to a Taylor apartment last month was victimized by burglars who took an estimated $700 in cash.

The victim left her apartment in the 12000 block of Pine Street at about 10 p.m. Dec. 1, and returned at 4:45 a.m. to discover one or more thieves had ransacked the house and took money. Police observed no signs of forced entry, and the woman was certain she had secured the dead-bolt lock before leaving. No other valuables were taken.

Wyandotte
House entered while owner away
A homeowner in the 1400 block of Maple came home about 5 p.m. Dec. 2 to find someone had entered her house.

A window screen on the west side of the house was pushed up and the window was ajar.

Nothing was found missing, and the woman suspects a former boyfriend, against whom she has a personal protection order.

Beer bilked
Two men in their late teens allegedly stole a case of beer valued at $20 from Circle K, 540 Goddard about 4 a.m. Dec. 4.

The clerk said the two white men, both about 5 feet 8 inches tall and dressed in skinny jeans, one in a white hoodead sweatshirt and the other in a black jacket, ran out of the store without paying for the beer.

(Compiled by Daniel Poteet, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteer.)

An employee said she was coordinating the line for the sale outside the store when a 42-year-old Melvindale man approached her and became verbally abusive toward her and other customers. She took out her cell phone and the man allegedly grabbed it and threw it into a vehicle parked nearby before fleeing in his green Ford Escort.

Officers visited the man’s house but he could not be located.

Window smashed
The driver’s side window of a 2003 Dodge Neon was smashed out sometime before 10:18 p.m. Nov. 22.

The vehicle had been parked in the 15000 block of Hanover Avenue and officers believe a rock was thrown through the window. No suspects were located.

Dearborn
Jewelry taken during break-in
Jewelry valued at $2,600 was stolen between 4 p.m. Nov. 25 and 7 p.m. Nov. 26 from a house in the 2000 block of Hubbard Drive.

Ground-level bedrooms and an upstairs bedroom were ransacked. The victim said the stolen items were taken from one of the ground-level bedrooms.

Neighbors reported no suspicious activity.

Break-in nets watches, cash
Watches and cash valued at about $1,600 were stolen between 11 p.m. Nov. 20 and 5 p.m. Nov. 27 from a house in the 22000 block of Princeton.

The victim told police when he returned from being out of town, he noticed the front door was slightly open and two bedrooms and an office were ransacked.

In addition to the watches and money, pillowcases were also missing, which the victim believes the suspects used to carry the stolen items.

Thieves steal wedding ring
A diamond wedding ring valued at $900, along with cash and gift cards ($550), a watch ($130) and assorted costume jewelry ($50) were stolen about 5 p.m. Nov. 27 from a house in the 2000 block of Hubbard Drive.

The victim was out of town when the break-in occurred.

Officers found the southwest door kicked in and the northwest entry door unlocked. The living room, kitchen, three ground-level bedrooms, an upstairs bedroom and the basement were ransacked.

A wall-mounted television was pulled out from the living room wall and three guns were taken from their cases and left on the bed in the upstairs bedroom.

Dearborn Heights
Home invasion thwarted
Police arrested a 21-year-old Dearborn Heights resident about 5 p.m. Nov. 25 after he allegedly tried to break into a house in the 4000 block of Weddel.

The victim told police the suspect attempted to break into the house through the southeast bedroom window. Officers discovered fingerprints on the window and noticed the screen was pushed up.

The victim’s daughter, a 21-year-old Dearborn Heights resident who had a previous relationship with the suspect, said she was afraid he would assault her, so she requested a ride back to her father’s house. After the officer and the victim’s daughter left, the suspect was seen by a neighbor trying to break in through a glass door.

Knifepoint armed robbery nets $80
Police are searching for a suspect who robbed a woman about 7 p.m. Nov. 23 in the parking lot of Chase Bank, 24950 W. Warren.

The suspect is described as a black man wearing an orange shirt and a black ski mask. He was carrying a hunting knife.

The victim said she returned to her car after using the automated teller machine when the suspect demanded money several times. He lifted up his mask, took $80 from the victim and fled west.

The owner of a nearby pharmacy told police a black man matching the suspect’s description was seen behind the drugstore about 6:25 p.m.

Driver flashes woman
A woman told police a man exposed himself to her three times about 2 p.m. Nov. 23 as she was walking in the area of Powers and Edgewood.

The woman said a white male, driving a black Dodge Ram pickup truck, approached her slowly and exposed his penis from the driver’s seat by lifting his hips over the door frame. The suspect repeated the action twice before fleeing.

The woman walked to her uncle’s house where she reported the incident.

Pair suspected in store theft
Police are looking for two suspects who stole about $620 between 7:45 p.m. and 8 p.m. Nov. 23 from Family Dollar, 3543 Beech Daly.

The store manager said the cashier tried to put money in the drop box, but the money would not go in the slot. The manager determined there was glue around the edges of the opening.

Surveillance cameras revealed one of the suspects, described as a black man in his 30s with short hair and wearing a blue jacket or hooded sweatshirt with gray sleeves, leaned over the counter and used a flat tool to take bills out of two drop boxes.

A second suspect who may have been acting as a lookout, described as a black man in his 30s with short hair and wearing a matching burgundy shirt and pants, requested help in the rear of the store while he was looking for a gold clock.

Lincoln Park
Car stolen from nail salon
Lincoln Park Police responded to a reported stolen 2007 Lexus ES350, valued at $10,000, taken from the parking lot of Kiss Nails, 1322 Dix.

The vehicle belonged to one of the salon’s staff, who reported that two black women, 20-30 years old, entered the store to get their nails done. One of the suspects went to the rear of the business to use the restroom, and it was believed they went through the victim’s coat pocket and removed a set of keys that included both the vehicle and business keys.

The vehicle’s description was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network, and police noted a description of the suspects.

Riverview
Man’s motorcycle missing
A Trenton man who parked his 2004 Suzuki motorcycle in the parking lot of Kings Forest apartment complex, 19310 Fort, about 7 p.m. Nov. 25 came back to it two days later to find an empty parking spot.

The handles on the motorcycle had been locked and he had taken the keys with him.

Shopping trip invites theft
A resident of the 15000 block of Brookview got more than she bargained for during a shopping trip Nov. 26.

The woman returned home from a shopping trip to a 24-hour supermarket about 4 a.m. that day after leaving at about 11 p.m. the day before to find the front door of her apartment open and the rooms ransacked.

She said the doors had been locked and the front door had been secured with a deadbolt and no pry marks or damage were found. Entry was apparently gained through a sliding glass window that bad been locked with a malfunctioning mechanism.

Missing were two pairs of boots, a 50-inch LCD television and a 32-inch LCD television, a DVD player, a video game system, a mink coat, a leather coat, a desktop computer and various musical instruments and pieces of jewelry.

Southgate
Thanksgiving theft nabs minivan
The owner of a 1994 Pontiac Transport minivan valued at $1,000 told Southgate Police that sometime between midnight at 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 24, someone stole the vehicle from an apartment complex parking lot.

The vehicle owner said he locked the van at about midnight in the 13000 block of Village Park Drive, and shortly after 8 a.m. noticed it was missing. He explained that the passenger side window did not close completely and was covered with plexiglass and duct tape. The vehicle’s description was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.

Projector stolen during school break-in
Sometime during the Thanksgiving weekend break, one or more thieves broke into Shelters Elementary School, 12600 Fordline Road, and left with an overhead projector valued at $900.

School staff called police shortly after 7 a.m. Monday to report the theft. Police did not discover any signs of forced entry, and no alarms sounded during the break-in.

Melvindale
Hospital stay leads to theft
A hospital stay allegedly left a resident of the 17200 block of Raupp vulnerable to theft sometime before 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The man said when he was released, he found his cell phone, $300 cash, and his apartment keys missing.

Upon returning to his apartment several days later, he found a new cell phone and prescription pills missing. He suspects someone entered the apartment with the missing keys.

Vehicle damaged
A resident of the 17900 block of Reed Avenue found her car, parked outside of her house, damaged about 7 p.m. Nov. 24.

The resident said she suspects someone jumped on the roof or punched the metal of the roof, causing dents, but she did not witness anything.

Trenton
Friends didn’t ‘like’ one another
Trenton Police were called to the 2900 block of Concord shortly after midnight on Saturday, Nov. 26 to settle a dispute which began on the social networking site Facebook.

Responding officers encountered one woman who was crying and entering the home, and another sitting on the front lawn. The woman outside told police she came to the home to speak with the other woman over a dispute on Facebook. While talking to her the woman’s son appeared and pushed the woman away from the door.

The first woman denied trying to enter the home. The woman’s son admitted he heard the argument and pushed the other woman to prevent her from entering the home. The son and visiting woman took the situation outside and were soon reportedly wrestling around on the ground. The other woman soon joined, and was struck in the face.

Police observed all three participants had scrapes and bruises. A neighbor told police she saw nothing of the argument and fight.

None of the individuals involved wished to press charges, and officers advised the women to delete their Facebook accounts. Both stated they did not want any further contact with each other, although Trenton detectives were expected to soon be in touch.

Taylor
Drive-thru smash and grab
Taylor Police responded to an alarm at Arby’s, 27277 Eureka Road, shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 to investigate a possible break-in.

At the scene police were met by the store manager. No one was inside the building, but police discovered a broken drive-through window through which one or more thieves gained entrance.

Inside the office, a safe was discovered to have been damaged, likely by a hammer left lying nearby. The safe was opened by a key discovered by the thieves in a nearby drawer, and the manager said approximately $1,300 was missing.

A computer monitor linked to the store’s video surveillance was also broken, and police collected fingerprints from the scene.

Teen burglar ransacks home
A teenage burglar may be in possession of two stolen handguns after looting a home in the 9200 block of Hanley Ave. Nov. 21.

The homeowner told police that the house was empty after 9 a.m., and when his son returned hom from school shortly after 3 p.m. he discovered the house had been ransacked. Investigating police spoke with a neighbor across the street, who saw a teenage male wearing a black knit hat and a dark green hooded sweatshirt loitering in the neighborhood, knocking on doors and carrying a black guitar case.

Police believe that entry to the home was made through the kitchen window. Reportedly stolen were two handguns — a 9 millimeter and a target pistol — along with a laptop computer.

Another neighbor reported having seen three teenage males loitering in the area, and had approached the boys to see what they were doing. The neighbor took a cell phone camera picture of the youths, which was provided to police.

Wyandotte
Birthday bash leads to burglary
A woman returning to her house in the 3800 block of 21st got an unpleasant birthday surprise Nov. 27.

The resident, who had left at 6 p.m. the day prior to celebrate her birthday, returned about 2 a.m. that day to find her front door opened and rooms ransacked.

About $500 in collectable coins and an assortment of jewelry were missing.

Her son said he left the house at 8 p.m. on Nov. 26 and everything was normal.

Man walks in on burglar
A resident of a house in the 1600 block of 20th reported hearing strange noises about 11 p.m. Nov. 26. Upon investigating them, he walked into an apparent burglary.

The man said he was in the basement when he heard the noises from the kitchen above him. When he walked upstairs, he saw a man, described only as wearing a dark-colored jacket, hanging partly outside of the kitchen window, apparently on his way out of the house.

The window had not been locked. Nothing appeared to be missing and there were no signs of forced entry.

(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)