Several residents of one apartment complex are struggling with that question after recent actions by their landlord.

A 40-year-old woman and her 12-year-old daughter, as well as another woman, are fearful of their landlord at an apartment complex in the 500 block of Elm Street after he allegedly directed several questionable comments and threatening text messages at the women, her child and the child’s 11-year-old friend. The residents say the comments and texts all culminated in the alleged murder of four pet turtles and the disappearance of a pet cat earlier this month.

Officers were called to the apartment complex about 11:15 a.m. Monday after the 40-year-old woman and her daughter returned home to discover four of their five 1-year-old pet turtles had been killed. The woman also said her daughter’s cat, a smokey gray Himalayan named Precious, had been missing since July 9. Several of the pets were gifts from the daughter’s father, who died last year of complications from cancer.

The woman filed a report against her landlord on July 12 because he was leaving her threatening voice and text messages. Officers assisted her in entering her apartment that day because she did not feel safe entering on her own.

The woman and officers discovered the water in her apartment’s atrium had been tampered with so that all the fish died and the turtles had climbed up onto the rocks to avoid some type of solution that had been poured in the water.

The chemicals’ odor was so strong that one officer would not enter the apartment because it affected his sinuses. That night, the woman sought medical treatment and was diagnosed with a restricted airway due to inflammation from the airborne chemicals.

The same day, she said the landlord sent her a text message that read, “Paybacks are a bitch.”

The woman placed the five turtles in a large cooler in her bathtub with fresh food and water. She took her daughter and left the apartment because they did not feel safe there and wanted to make new living arrangements elsewhere.

Upon returning to the apartment July 16 to move out some items, all was fine and the turtles were safe. She returned Monday to finish moving out and her daughter discovered four of the five turtles were dead and the cooler had intentionally been tipped over. Officers did not believe the turtles had the strength to move or tip over the cooler themselves.

The daughter also discovered a suspicious yellow-stained towel on her bedroom floor that did not belong to the family. The towel and a sample of the atrium water were collected and tagged as evidence.

The woman had been suspicious that the landlord had been entering the apartment without her permission. She had been placing a towel behind the door when she leaves and repeatedly has observed it pushed over against the far wall upon her return, indicating the door had been swung wide open by someone while she was away.

She believes her landlord is upset with her because she has turned down his repeated advances for a relationship since they went on a single date in February, in which her daughter accompanied them.

Showing officers a series of text messages sent by the landlord on different dates, several were described by officers as “disturbing, sexually suggestive, demeaning and express(ing) a feeling of control,” while also mentioning how the woman is refusing the landlord as a partner. Most contained foul, abusive language and threats. The woman said she never responds to any of the messages or calls.

Officers told the woman to have her phone service provider print out the text messages from the landlord and contact the Detective Bureau afterward. She also was advised and urged to obtain a personal protection order.

While investigating complaints against the landlord, the woman and her 39-year-old neighbor described several other incidents where the landlord would make comments aloud in the hallway about various residents’ breast sizes.

When the 12-year-old daughter’s 11-year-old friend was nearby in a bikini top during the apartment complex’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration, the landlord also allegedly said, “She has a nice rack on her. She will get raped by the time she is 14,” in front of several tenants.

The report is consistent with an unrelated report from 2008, when the landlord made sexually suggestive comments in front of children.

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

While in the parking lot outside Quit-N-Time, 3353 Fort St., about 2:30 a.m. July 17, they were the victims of a drunken rampage by a 31-year-old Detroit man.

The three men, ages 38, 22 and 21, were in the lot when the Detroit man exited the business and tried to start fights with other people who were leaving in a Dodge Durango as he passed them. The man then got into his truck, a beige 2000 Chevrolet Silverado, and verbally abused the 38-year-old Inkster man while he sat near his vehicle, a blue 1998 Buick Lesabre.

The Inkster man told the Detroit man to leave, and he complied. While leaving the parking lot, however, the Detroit man turned south onto the northbound-only lanes of Fort Street. He then backed his truck up into the bar’s parking lot while yelling.

In the process he backed into the Inkster man’s car, nearly hitting the 22- and 21-year-old Riverview men who were standing nearby.

The Detroit man then drove north into the alley and east into another alley before turning south onto the northbound-only lanes of 23rd Street. Several people at the bar called police at that point.

Each victim gave officers the same account of what happened, also noting that the Detroit man jumped up on the bed of his truck and yelled, “You want some of this” at the three men while motioning to his waistband as if he had a gun. The three men said something appeared to be in his waistband, but none knew whether it was a gun.

Police tracked down the Detroit man found a pair of bolt cutters in his truck. He did not have a gun on his person or in his vehicle.

A passenger in suspect’s truck, a 28-year-old Riverview man, was uninvolved in the incident.

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

Photos by Chris Jackett

By CHRIS JACKETT
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – Just more than two weeks into the city’s new Downriver Consolidated Dispatch arrangement, things are going smoothly.

Southgate and Wyandotte combined police dispatch services July 1 and expect Lincoln Park to join the mix by the summer’s end.

“We did start the Consolidated Dispatch on July 1 with only Southgate and Wyandotte active at this time,” Wyandotte Police Chief Daniel Grant said. “So far, things have run smoothly, and we anticipate bringing Lincoln Park into the mix in the near future.

“We’re still not fired up all the way. We didn’t want to just flip the switch and have both (cities) in here.”

The consolidation makes monitoring Southgate and Lincoln Park a task performed in Wyandotte, resulting in about $135,000 in savings per year for Wyandotte alone; $60,000 from supervisory reimbursement and $10,000 from utility and space reimbursement.

The three cities will split expenses based on the number of annual 911 calls to each city. Grant said Wyandotte receives about 20,000 calls yearly, while Lincoln Park receives about 24,000 and Southgate receives about 23,000.

Just as the services have been consolidated, so have the staffs for the cities in order to handle the workload. The three dispatchers from Southgate each retired and were hired on as part-time, entry-level dispatchers by Wyandotte, joining the latter city’s existing staff of five full-time dispatchers.

“They retired and got their full pension. Then we brought them on at entry level,” Grant said. “The difference with Lincoln Park is they have no dispatchers.”

He said his department is looking to hire a few more dispatchers to ensure continuous staffing – with 10 to 12 total – when the DCD is at fully combined.

The DCD also is working to add two more dispatch stations to the existing pair in Wyandotte, making the envisioned central dispatch hub a reality for the three communities.

According to Grant, the modifications to the current Wyandotte system were minor, and the former Southgate dispatchers have adjusted quickly and easily.

“They’ve been doing well,” he said. “We use the same dispatching software. A few adjustments with the monitors and that’s about it.”

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

In a 5-1 vote, City Council members June 28 approved a statute making it “unlawful for any person to feed pigeons or seagulls in any manner anywhere within the city.”

Violators may be charged with a civil infraction and subject to a $500 fine. The provision does not apply to pigeons kept in coops or cages.

The ordinance goes into effect Tuesday.

— Chris Jackett

The File of Life program in Wyandotte and “ICE” program (which stands for “in case of emergency”) in Allen Park both provide residents with an extra measure that could protect against medical mishaps on short notice.

“A person fills out a registration form with name, address and emergency contact,” said Theresa Jamula, Wyandotte’s recreation technician. “Once they register, we give them a card, and there’s a little plastic holder and they put it on the refrigerator.”

The file contains a variety of medical information, ranging from medical history, to a doctor’s name, prescriptions, dosages, blood type, preferred hospital, special conditions, medical insurance information and more.

“It’s in the computer that they have a File of Life, so (first responders) go directly to the refrigerator. They don’t have to dig in their wallets. It’s all right there,” Jamula said. “I just think in an emergency, the quicker the responders can address an issue, this could be a lifesaver.”

The form measures about 5 1/2 by 11 inches and folds into a magnet container. There is also an 8- by 3 1/2-inch card available that fits into a 2 1/2 inch by 3-and-a-half inch holder to store in a purse, wallet or vehicle.

“We request they fill it out in pencil because dosages change, illnesses change,” Jamula said. “It’s not just senior citizens. If you have five people in the household, it’d just be good for everybody. Each person should be registered and have their own card filled out.”

The files are free to residents at the Wyandotte Police Department, 2015 Biddle Ave., or Yack Recreation Center, 3131 Third Street, during regular business hours. Novi-based ITCTransmission funded the program.

Not every city has the File of Life program, but many can participate in the ICE program, which asks residents to put an entry into their cell phones labeled “ICE,” followed by an identifier such as “Mom” or a friend’s or spouse’s name.

“It’s pretty simple, but that’s what makes it so great,” said Michael Mizzi, Allen Park city clerk. “If anything does happen to me, I’d want my wife to know.”

The city is also handing out small gold stickers residents can stick on the back of their cell phones to let first responders know they have an ICE entry saved in their address book. Allen Park resident Don Graham donated the stickers, which are going fast.

“We have so many people coming in, we’re down to our last roll,” Mizzi said. “They’re probably one of the best things because it lets first responders, police or fire know you have that in your phone. They can call and the person they’re calling might know if you have a certain allergy.”

The free stickers are available at the City Clerk’s Office inside City Hall, 16850 Southfield Road.

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

The Chase Bank at 1909 Fort Street was the scene of an armed robbery about 10:45 a.m. July 10 and the teller who was robbed had to make that differentiation.

Officers arrived about 10:51 a.m. and surrounded the bank’s perimeter to wait for the all-clear sign from within. They then entered, but the suspect was gone.

A black man about 6 feet 2 inches tall weighing 200 to 230 pounds and between the ages of 25 and 35 had approached a teller window, saying, “I want to cash a check,” while placing an empty white plastic grocery bag on the counter.

The teller thought the bag was trash and placed it in the garbage can behind him. When he turned back to the counter, the suspect was holding up his shirt with his left hand, intentionally exposing the handle of a pistol tucked into the left side of his waistband.

Quickly turning back to the garbage can, the teller retrieved the bag and filled it with several stacks of cash totaling $3,750. The suspect took the bag of cash, walked out the front door and turned east through the parking lot.

Police said he was wearing black jeans, a white T-shirt and a black Detroit Tigers baseball cap with a red D on the front. He also had some facial hair.

A resident in the 1800 block of 23rd Street spoke to investigators an hour after the incident and said he was doing lawn work in his front yard when he saw a man fitting the description emerge from the alley on the west side of 23rd from Fort Street.

The resident said the man walked east from the alley and across a nearby neighbor’s lawn in a slow, casual pace, which the resident felt was odd.

The resident said the suspect – who he specifically recalled as having a striking resemblance to former Detroit Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis – got in an older, dark-colored, midsized vehicle parked at the curb and drove south on 23rd to Ford Avenue, at which point the resident lost sight of the vehicle.

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

This is no usual trip to the beach, however. The city’s biweekly youth beach volleyball clinic will run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the park until Aug. 12.

“We have two sand volleyball courts,” recreation technician Theresa Jamula said. “The first day, we want them there at 8:30 a.m. It’s a drop-in kind of program. They usually get around 14 (children).”

Residents who cannot attend and register the first day must register at 9 a.m. at the first session they can attend. The BASF Waterfront Park is next to the Wyandotte Shores Golf Course, 3625 Biddle.

Summer intern Stephanie Cislo will lead the free clinic for residents ages 10 to 14. She is a former Grand Valley State University volleyball player and 2008 alum and standout at Gabriel Richard Catholic High School in Riverview.

Artists, musicians steal the show at Wyandotte’s annual festival

Photos by Chris Jackett

Shirley Moore, nutritional program manager, and Carol Meyers, community support service director, were at the June 28 City Council meeting to promote the new market, held downtown from noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays at 102 Elm St. at First, just west of Biddle.

The program began June 17 and runs through Sept. 15. It will offer an array of products that either are locally grown or contain local ingredients. Items include fresh fruits, vegetables, plants, baked goods, meat and dairy products.

The group plans to provide recipe cards to help customers learn how to prepare produce with which they may not be familiar.

Its community gardening program has coordinated the planting and harvesting of more than 39 gardens in 13 communities. The gardens, which are planted and maintained by nonprofit and civic organizations, schools, community, social and religious groups, have produced nearly 10,000 pounds of fresh produce for local families in need.

Wayne Metro’s Partnerships for Local Agricultural Networking Together provides fresh produce and promotes self-sufficiency, focusing on good nutrition and healthy living. PLANT provides seeds, plants, gardening supplies and technical assistance to community gardeners.

For more information on the services provided by Wayne Metro call (734) 284-4497 or go to www.waynemetro.org.

More than 350 artists from 30 states and Canada will line Biddle Avenue and First Street for the Wyandotte Street Art Fair Wednesday through Saturday.

“Normally we get 200,000 to 250,000 people,” said Heather Thiede, special events coordinator for the city. “Last year, we had a lot of people Wednesday for the kickoff.”

The event, which since 1961 steadily has grown into the second-largest such event in the state, also will include dozens of musicians, performers, food vendors and exhibitors.

“We try to space out all the events,” Thiede said. “As always, we have a second entertainment stage at Elm and First Street.”

Nine, Square Pegz, Fifty Amp Fuse, Howling Diablos and The Look are all scheduled to perform, along with more than a dozen other entertainers.

Entertainment will run from noon to 11 p.m. daily, while the art fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. all four days. The ‘dotte Arts Project and Retro Row will feature newer, local artists.

“We have between very fine art and very fine crafts,” Thiede said. “We have an emerging artists section that’s mixed in with the other artists on Biddle Avenue.”

The all-ages Street Art Fair will spread down Biddle Avenue and First Street from Oak Street to Eureka Road, a span of six blocks. For more information, including event schedules, go to www.wyandottestreetartfair.org.

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)