Police Blotter: Grosse Pointe Farms Defrauded with Counterfeit Checks

Counterfeit Checks and Fraud in the Farms

Grosse Point Farms police are investigating a theft of nearly $10,000 from the city's bank account with counterfeit and fraudulent checks. A Grosse Pointe Farms employee noticed irregular check numbers on the city's bank statement during the monthly reconciling and contacted Chase Bank. The bank confirmed that 21 counterfeit checks had been processed on the City's account totalling $9,953.01. Twenty of the checks were written for the same amount, $469.10, and one was for $571.01. They were all cashed between Sept. 26 and Oct. 2. The Farms has filed a loss claim with Chase Bank's Loss Claim Department. No arrests have been made and the investigation continues, according to a report.

Home Invasion and Theft in the Park 

On Oct. 13, an unknown person entered a home in the 15000 block of Essex during the late afternoon by reportedly reaching through the milk chute and unlocking the back door. Two laptop computers, various jewelry, a Swiss army backpack and credit cards were taken, according to a report.

Also on Oct. 13, two laptop computers, two flatscreen televisions, an iPad and miscellaneous items were stolen from an apartment in the 1300 block of Maryland. The resident reported that an unknown person entered the building by an unlocked rear door that leads to a common staircase and entered through a door with a faulty lock. A neighboring resident's apartment also had the door kicked in, but nothing was taken, according to a report.

A pink and black Schwinn Copper-style bike was reported stolen the night before from the front porch of a home also in the 1300 block of Maryland. The bike was tied to the porch with a rope, according to a report.

On Oct. 13, a resident in the 1400 of Bedford reported a home invasion. The resident reported that three watches, pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and silver handgun were taken. An unknown person threw a piece of concrete through a second story window and entered the home without tripping the alarm, the report said.

Money Taken from Teacher's Purse

A Pierce Middle School teacher reported that $200 was stolen from her purse on Oct. 2, which was unsecured in her classroom through out the school day, according to a report.

Jewelry Theft in the Park

A Grosse Pointe Park resident reported jewelry missing after a crew of painters working in her home in the 1000 block of Kensington in August had left, according to a report.

In an unrelated incident, another Park resident in the 800 block of Balfour also reported jewelry stolen from their home. According to the resident, various gold and diamond rings were taken sometime from Sept. 1 to Sept. 26, said the report.

Vehicle Theft in Woods

Grosse Pointe Woods police are investigating a theft of a 2012 Ford Edge that was parked in the owner's driveway in the 1800 block of Manchester on Oct. 10. The owner reported it stolen the next evening when he noticed the vehicle missing. Detroit police had already found the vehicle at about 11 a.m. on Oct. 11 with body and window damage. The car was missing all four chrome wheels and tires, according to a report.

Multiple Incidents of Attempts to Steal Tires and Wheels in Park

During the night of Oct. 9, the tires and rims were taken from a 2012 Lincoln MKT that was parked in the driveway of a home in the 1400 block of Bishop. The car was found on landscape blocks taken from next to the driveway. The lug nuts were left behind, according to a report.

Also during the night of Oct. 9, an unknown person attempted to remove the rims and tires from a 2011 Dodge Charger parked in the 1400 block of Bedford. The lugnuts were loosened from the front tires and left behind, but nothing was taken, according to a report.

During the early morning hours of Oct. 10, an unknown person smashed the driver's side window of a 2011 Dodge Charger parked in the 1100 block of Maryland. An Apple iPod Touch was taken from inside the car and all the lugnuts were removed from the rear tires but the wheels and tires were not taken. Landscape bricks were found lying nearby, according to a report.

Vandalism in Farms and Park

A Grosse Pointe Farms resident found her 2008 Chevrolet Equinox had been vandalized at about 11:00 p.m. on Oct. 13 as it was parked in front of her home in the 400 block of McKinley. The car's rear passenger window had been smashed in but nothing had been stolen, according to a report.

On Oct. 12 at about 10:30 p.m., a local restaurant employee watched a white woman in her 20s with thick, rimmed glasses smash the windshield of a 2001 Ford Escort parked on the east side of Maryland, just south of Mack. The woman was driving a dark colored Volkswagen Jetta and sped away, according to a report.

Driving Under the Influence of Drugs in GP City

A 63-year-old Grosse Pointe City woman was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs when she ran her car into a telephone pole on Charlevoix at about 6 p.m. on Oct. 9. The driver admitted to police that she had taken Oxycontin, Methadone and Valium before driving. She was transported to St. John's Hospital, according to a report.

For questions on the police blotter, email tstinson.gp.patch@gmail.com