Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Search in Shores Nets Arrest

The following information is gathered from the Public Safety Departments of the Grosse Pointes. Arrests do not indicate conviction.

police arrested a man and a woman Friday afternoon following a traffic stop that led to a search through many recently snow-covered yards on Clairview and Webber after the man ran from the stop.

Director of Public Safety Stephen Poloni said the vehicle was disabled and on the side of the road on Clairview. An officer approached and while he was back at his patrol car, the man, who was standing outside of the disabled black SUV, ran from the area.

The patrol officer called for back up and began chasing the man. Other officers from Grosse Pointe Shores as well as officers from Grosse Pointe Farms and Grosse Pointe Woods joined in the search, Poloni said. 

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Their arrival to the neighborhood just off Lake St. Clair was notable to many motorists on Lake Shore Road and residents in the area.

Eventually, the man was found using his footprints in the recently snow-covered ground, Poloni said. After he was caught, officers found that he had a warrant for backowed child support but it was not a significant amount of money, Poloni said. 

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Officers were not sure why he ran, which is why so many others came to help, he said. The woman was arrested on a minor warrant, which Poloni said she was likely to be able to pay and would be released.

The man was arrested on the child support warrant and charged with obstructing a police investigation, Poloni said. Although it appeared to be much more serious to onlookers, it was nothing more than a simple arrest, he said.

Short Change Artist Arrested

police arrested a 58-year-old Detroit man Jan. 14 after he tricked an employee at while asking for change and stole $37. Employees called the theft into police, providing a detailed description of the man, who was found walking on Mack Avenue near Moross a short time later. The officer took the man to BluFin, where the employee he tricked identified him as the same man who stole the money. He entered the restaurant in a rushed manner and asked employees to break a dollar for four quarters. Then he changed the request, saying he needed to break $80 worth of bills and then made additional change requests stating the employee did not provide them with the correct amount. The employee finally refused to do any more change transactions and he left. She counted the register after he left and discovered it was short by $37. The man who was arrested is known to Grosse Pointe Farms police as a quick change artist and was charged with a misdemeanor count of larceny by conversion. He did not have an identification card on him but was wearing an identification bracelet from Macomb County Jail and had other outstanding warrants, according to a report.

Fraudulent Check Leads to Arrest

police arrested a woman Jan. 7 at Kroger for uttering and publishing a fraudulent check at . The investigation revealed the woman was using multiple identities and had several fraudulent, blank checks in her purse. Additionally detectives called the U.S. Secret Service after finding two fraudulent $20 bills crumpled up inside her purse. The bills were smaller than a real bill, off center, missing water marks, the wrong texture and printed with ink that ran. The woman had outstanding warrants from St.Clair Shores and Detroit that she was arrested on in addition to the single uttering and publishing a fraudulent check. The fraudulent check was discovered by a Kroger employee after a cashier manually processed a check after the automated system rejected it. She told police she did it because the store was so busy. The woman made an attempt to make another purchase but the cashier refused to accept the check. Meanwhile, a cab driver had alerted police that he believed he was going to be stiffed for the fare by this woman and a man who rode with her. The cab driver provided police a detailed list about where he drove the pair, which included a bank and other retailers, according to a report.

Window Smashed Out of Car

police were called to a home near Lincoln and Chalfont Jan. 7 after the owner of a car discovered the back window had been smashed out. The Honda Element was parked in the street from 3 p.m. until the damage was discovered shortly after 10 p.m. The owner said the family had been going in and out of the house during that time but did not see anything. The responding officers did not find anyone or anything suspicious in the area. The vehicle did not sustain any other damage and the object used to break the window was not located, according to a report.

Catalytic Converter Stolen

Grosse Pointe Farms police are investigating the theft of a catalytic converter from a car parked in the 400 block of McKinley. The owner parked the car in the street overnight and discovered the theft after starting the car, which was running unusually loudly. The theft is believed to have happened between Jan. 9 to Jan. 11, according to a report.

Rental Car Return Nets Drunken Driving Arrest

Grosse Pointe Farms police arrested a 39-year-old Detroit man Jan. 10 after he arrived to a rental car business intoxicated and became angry when the employees would not trade his current rental car for a minivan rental because of his state of intoxication. Responding officers arrived and the employees explained the man arrived there to trade in his rental for a different rental vehicle. One of the employees witnessed the man driving his original rental. They refused to do the trade because he was intoxicated so he refused to return the keys to his current rental. He did give the keys to an officer and also advised that he has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, which he told the officer he was carrying at the moment. The man had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. He walks with a cane, so officers did not perform field sobriety tests but did give him a breathalyzer which should he had a 0.21 percent blood alcohol content. He was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and given a citation for consuming alcohol while carrying a concealed weapon. The permit to carry specifies holders are not allowed to carry their weapon when they are consuming alcohol.

State Police Arrest Woman Wanted in Farms

Michigan State Police turned over a 40-year-old Madison Heights woman to Grosse Pointe Farms police Jan. 7 related to five outstanding warrants in the municipality. Among the woman's warrants was one for larceny. She was arrested and held on a $1,425 bond, according to a report.

Trespassing Leads to Arrest

Grosse Pointe Woods police arrested a man Jan. 8 for trespassing after he refused to leave the home of his ex-girlfriend. Officers received a call about a man refusing the home and responded to help. Witnesses said the man had been told to leave the home multiple times but he refused. He stepped outside when one person grabbed a cell phone and said he was calling police, according to a report.

For questions on the police blotter, email sara.martin@patch.com.


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