Police Blotter: Fraudulent Money Transfers Under Investigation

A 59-year-old woman reported that fraudulent transactions had been completed through her bank accounts. According to her records, she first found that $2,000 had been transferred from an account she has through Chase Bank to an account she holds with Talmer Bank and Trust. Several online transactions have been performed with the Talmer account in California and the woman said it now appears that another $4,000 had been transferred between her banks and then to an account in California. The woman told police she reported the fraud to her banks and she fears that her funds will be further depleted. The total value of the fraud thus far is about $10,000, according to a report.

In another case, a 34-year-old Grosse Pointe Farms resident reported the theft of miscellaneous items from his and his wife's cars parked at their home in the 100 block of Touraine Road overnight Aug. 6. Among the items stolen was a credit card that had already been used at a Detroit service station for $120, according to a report. 

A 76-year-old resident reported two fraudulent withdrawals from his bank account Aug. 9. The bank alerted the man of the fraudulent activity. The withdrawals were completed at on the same day and totaled $3,493, according to a report. 

Retail Thefts

reported the theft of 8 to 10 packages of Red Bull from their Mack Avenue store Aug. 18. An employee saw a man with a cart filled with Red Bull walk out of the entrance of the store without checking out. He alerted another employee who found the man loading the Red Bull into his car. The man tried to distract the employee by asking questions and then drove away in a yellow Ford Mustang. Kroger provided police with a surveillance video and a description of the man. A short time later, St. Clair Shores police stopped the 25-year-old St. Clair Shores man near Jefferson and Corteville. The vehicle had 17 cases of Red Bull plus a dashboard CD receiver with the serial numbers scratched off. The man borrowed the car from a friend, so the police returned the car to the owner and arrested the man on a charge of third-degree retail fraud, according to reports. 

City of Grosse Pointe police are investigating the theft of baby formula from in the Village. A man described as about 25 years old was shopping in the store, placed several cans of formula in the basket, approached the counter and then ran out with it after the clerk asked if he was ready to check out. Ten cans were stolen at a value of $250, according to a report. 

Attempted Break-ins 

The passenger-side window of a minivan parked in the driveway of a home in the 2300 block of Allard was smashed overnight Aug. 12. The rubber seal on the driver's-side window was marred by tool marks as well. The owner woke to his car alarm sounding about 3:30 a.m. but didn't see anything unusual when he went outside to check. He did not notice the window had been broken out until the morning when he went outside, according to a report.

Grosse Pointe Farms police are investigating an attempted burglary of a home in the 40 block of Beacon Hill that happened Aug. 15. The homeowner returned home to find glass on the floor of her entryway and a window on the door had been broken. The homeowner told police she believes her dog scared off the would-be burglar as nothing else seemed out of place or disturbed, according to a report. 

Teens Turned Over to Parents  

Grosse Pointe Woods police issued a minor in possession citation to a 19-year-old Grosse Pointe Park woman found sleeping in her car in the 600 block of Peach Tree Lane on Aug. 13. The teen told police she had worked as a waitress at a restaurant in Roseville the night before and admitted drinking. She told police she was leaving a friend's house. Her car was illegally parked in a fire lane and when asked for her ID, she retrieved her iPod. A Breathalyzer test showed she had a 0.11 percent blood alcohol content. Officers took her to the station where her father was called to pick her up, according to a report. 

Grosse Pointe Farms police sent four teenagers home with their mothers Aug. 18 after finding them near Lake St. Clair at 2:30 a.m. Three of the four teenagers had been drinking alcohol and they admitted to drinking and smoking marijuana at one of the boys' houses before going down near the lake. When the officer approached, one of the boys was urinating in the lake. The teens—ages 17 and 18—were each given a Breathalyzer and then their mothers were contacted, according to a report.

Tires of 3 Vehicles Slashed  

Grosse Pointe Woods police are investigating the slashing of tires on three vehicles in the 400 and 500 block of Coventry Lane. The slashings happened overnight Aug. 12 to a 2012 Ford Focus, a 2001 Town and Country and a 2010 Lincoln MKS. The owners do not know of anyone who would slash their tires and there are no neighbor disputes that they were aware of, according to reports. 

Drunken Drivers Arrested

Grosse Pointe Woods police arrested a 21-year-old Grosse Pointe Farms woman Aug. 13 for alleged drunken driving after stopping her for driving without headlights at 2 a.m. According to a report, a patrol officer spotted the woman driving an SUV turning from Mack Avenue onto Vernier Road without headlights. The officer began to approach to stop her and noticed she was swerving on the roadway. When she stopped for the traffic stop, she hit the curb and admitted to drinking at her father's house and a St. Clair Shores restaurant. She had an initial 0.15 percent blood alcohol content reading, according to a report.  

Grosse Pointe Farms police arrested a 42-year-old Romulus woman Aug. 15 for alleged drunken driving after she struck a parked car in a gas station lot and continued driving on Mack Avenue, swerving widely between lanes. According to a report, a patrol officer was filling up his car with gas when he overheard an argument and saw two motorists leave traveling in the same direction. He caught up to them and witnessed one of the vehicles swerve widely between traffic lanes. The woman stopped a block after the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop and did not give officers her identification until being asked half a dozen times. She pretended to take a Breathalyzer but did not blow air into it and admitted rear-ending another car but said it was a sudden stop she made. Eventually, officers found she had a 0.30 percent blood alcohol content. Officers said they found a half-full cup with alcohol in it and empty bottles of Mike's Hard Lemonade in the backseat of her vehicle. She was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, violating the open container law, refusing the portable breath test and driving on a suspended license, according to a report.

Grosse Pointe Farms police also arrested a 22-year-old Wayne man Aug. 13 for alleged drunken driving after he crashed on Mack Avenue and nearly hit the U.S. Post Office. According to a report, a patrol officer saw the man driving an SUV at a high rate of speed down Mack Avenue near East Warren, then heard screeching tires and saw the man hit a cement trash can, a tree and a parking meter. Paramedics responded to the scene. The man admitted to drinking after being pressured by friends and he failed all of his field sobriety tests. He had a 0.15 percent blood alcohol content. The trash can came to rest in Mack Avenue traffic lanes and the tree and parking meter were lodged under the SUV, which was towed from the scene, according to a report.

Canoe Capsizes, Lost in Lake

A 71-year-old Grosse Pointe Farms man flagged down police Aug. 17 at Harbor Hill Park after swimming to shore from his capsized canoe in Lake St. Clair. The man told officers he lost his canoe after it capsized. He was fully clothed, wearing a life vest and was soaking wet. He told police he did not need medical attention but wanted officials to know of the missing canoe, which had other items in it, such as his shoes and coat. Police alerted the Coast Guard as well as the Wayne County Marine Division and the man's wife picked him up to take him home, according to a report.

Traffic Stop Leads to Arrest 

Grosse Pointe Farms police arrested a 21-year-old Ferndale man Aug. 16 after stopping him for driving through a red light at Moross and Kercheval. During the traffic stop the officer smelled marijuana and during a search of the vehicle, the officer found 8.5 grams of marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia. He was charged with possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, according to a report. 

City of Grosse Pointe police arrested a 23-year-old Detroit man Aug. 18 shortly before midnight after stopping him for having a taillight out. During the traffic stop, the city's police dog, Raleigh, searched the car and found marijuana and 90 generic Vicodin pills in a baggie. The pills were from a prescription for his sister-in-law and the car belonged to her. He had borrowed it, according to a report. 

Bedroom Window Broken

A 41-year-old Rivard Boulevard resident reported to the City of Grosse Pointe police that a piece of metal was used to break his son's bedroom window on the second floor between Aug. 15 to 17. The resident asked police to give the area special attention as he does not know of anyone who would have done this, noting neither he nor his son are having any current problems with others, according to the report. 

Police Quiet Dispute

Grosse Pointe Woods police were called following a dispute between a resident and a contractor working for a neighboring home. The resident complained to police that the contractor was doing work beyond the hours allowed by ordinance and he wanted the work to be stopped. The contractor told the officer he was done working for the night and then the officer left but had to return after the pair began arguing again. They were told to stay away from each other and both agreed to do so when the contractor returns to finish the job, according to a report.

Questions on this blotter should be emailed to sara.eaton-martin@patch.com.