Police Blotter: Pop Bottle Bombs Result in Arrest of 3 Men

police arrested three men about 3:30 p.m. Oct. 10  after discovering they were making muriatic acid bombs with pop bottles. Public Safety officers responded to a complaint of loud noise near Vendome Road and Kercehval Avenue, where a nearby resident heard an explosion and saw the three men standing in the backyard of another home holding a waste basket. A responding officer found the three still in possession of the waste basket as well as a gallon of muriatic acid. The men—ages 19, of Pasedena, CA, and 18 and 20, both of Harper Woods—were charged with possession of of a substance with explosive capability. Officers took photographs of the acid, tin foil and other bomb making supplies and then disposed of the items through hazardous materials disposal procedures. The 20-year-old Harper Woods man also had a fake ID from IL on him at the time of the arrest, showing he was 22 years old. Officers confirmed the information used on the ID was fake rather than stolen.

In a similar report, Grosse Pointe Farms public safety officers are investigating a pop-bottle bomb that exploded on the front lawn of a home in the 60 block of Lothrop Oct. 10. The homeowner called police after hearing an explosion and finding the bottle shortly before 9 p.m. The bomb was made with a Pepsi bottle, muriatic acid and aluminum foil. All the pieces were collected as evidence. The resident did not have any potential suspects for police, according to a report. It was not immediately clear if this report was related to the first case in which the three men were arrested.

Cat Rescued from Well

police rescued a cat from a well in the 40 block of Stonehurst Oct. 4 after a resident called dispatchers about the trapped cat. The cat "scurried off once freed," according to a report.

Stuffed Exhaust Fan Starts Fire

Grosse Pointe Shores public safety officers doused a fire at 586 Shelden Road Oct. 4 after a resident returned home to find the house filled with smoke. The homeowner accidentally turned on a kitchen exhaust fan while leaving the home and the fan had previously been stuffed with cardboard and insulation to prevent a draft into the house. The fire was put out with a fire extinguisher and firefighters used a thermal imaging scanner to check the rest of the house to ensure the fire had not spread, according to a report.

Parked Car Vandalized

A resident reported to Grosse Pointe Farms police damage to her vehicle after parking in the 160 block of Muir Road Oct. 10 and returning to it to find the damage. The owner told officers she parked in a parking garage at 7:30 a.m. and came back to it about 6:45 p.m. to discover both of the tires on the driver's side were slashed and "D3" was carved into the quarter panel of the 2009 Chevrolet HHR, according to a report.

Shooting Threats Investigated 

Grosse Pointe Farms police are investigating threats lodged by a 45-year-old Farms residents against a 42-year-old Clinton Township man Oct. 9 in the backyard of a 40-year-old Farms woman's home. The woman and the Clinton Township man were in a hot tub when her ex-husband showed up, approached them and threatened to shoot or get someone else to shoot the Clinton Township man. The ex-husband refused to leave but finally did so after the woman said she was calling police. The ex-husband denies threatening the man and his ex-wife but admitted being at the house at the time the woman and Clinton Township man said he was present. The Clinton Township man also told officers his cell phone was missing and he believes the ex-husband took it as he left the house, but the ex-husband denied taking it, according to a report

Vicious Dog Reported

A Grosse Pointe Farms man filed a report with police Oct. 8 out of concern related to a neighbor's dogs—one of whom he said is vicious. The dog bit a woman last year and the owner was ordered to remove one of her three dogs in court but never did so. The resident filed the complaint with the police because the neighbor is now moving and allows all three of the dogs to go outside at once and he believes it creates a dangerous situation because of the nature of one of the dogs, according to a report.

Known Car Thief Diverted to Bus Stop

Grosse Pointe Farms police spotted a known car thief walking near Mack and Moran Oct. 8 and detained him briefly while questioning him about what he was doing. The 18-year-old Detroit man told the officer he had been released from a lockup facility earlier in the day and the bus dropped him off near the Grosse Pointes and he was trying to find a bus ride back to Livonia. The officer escorted the man to a bus stop at 8 Mile and Gratiot after warning him about jaywalking. Detectives are looking into the teen's story as there was a recent car theft on Mack Avenue and an earlier spotting of him near Kercheval and McKinley, according to a report.