Police Blotter: Items Stolen from Cars, Homes

Thefts and breaking and enterings dominated reports to the Royal Oak Police Department for this past week. Here are the highlights:

Teen wakes to find intruder in her bedroom

A 16-year-old girl who stayed home from school Jan. 23 awoke to find the female tenant of the other duplex's apartment in the 900 block of East Second inside her bedroom rummaging through her belongings.

The suspect fled the scene, but Royal Oak officers later arrested the suspect without incident and charged her with home invasion.

Home invasion

• 200 block of West Housonia, Jan. 26: A man reported that he left his home for approximately 15 minutes to run an errand. When he returned, he found a window in the back of the house smashed out. The man entered the home to find his 1970 reissue Fender Stratocaster guitar was missing.

Items taken from cars

• 200 block of West Houstonia, Jan. 19: A woman reported that she left her vehicle unlocked in the driveway of a friend’s house while she ran inside. When she returned, she noticed her purse was missing from the vehicle. When the woman was entering the home, two males who were also visiting the home were leaving. It is believed they stole the purse. Royal Oak officers contacted one of the males who admitted his friend did steal the purse and that he had recovered it for her. The woman discovered that the Social Security card and other identification were the only items missing.
• 12 Mile and Main, Jan. 23: A woman reported someone smashed out the rear window of her vehicle and stole two purses.
• 100 block of Allenhurst, Jan. 22: A man reported someone entered his unlocked vehicle and stole a bag containing clothes, a watch, ski boots, cuff links and other miscellaneous items of value.
• , 1812 N. Main, Jan. 23: A woman reported someone entered her unlocked vehicle and stole a wallet from her glove box.
• Washington and Fourth Street, Jan. 24: A woman reported someone entered her unlocked vehicle and stole her purse.
• Third and Williams, Jan. 25: A man reported someone stole the spare tire off the rear of his Jeep Cherokee.

Car stolen

• 700 block of Irving, Jan. 20: A citizen notified police that a resident on Irving was in possession of a stolen Dodge Avenger. Royal Oak officers located the unoccupied stolen vehicle and determined the vehicle was stolen from a pizza delivery person in Warren. Officers impounded the vehicle and turned it over to the Warren Police department to investigate.

Other Incidents

• , 419 S. Main, Jan. 22: A woman reported she left her wallet at the establishment. By the time she went back to retrieve it, the wallet was gone and fraudulent activity had already occurred on her credit card.
• Woodward Avenue and 11 Mile, Jan. 22: Royal Oak officer on routine patrol located a stolen Kia traveling south on Woodward. The officers initiated a traffic stop and found the vehicle was reported stolen out of Eastpointe. The driver was taken into custody without incident.
• Hagelstein's Bakery, 800 S. Washington, Jan. 21: Royal Oak officers were flagged down by a passer-by who stated the front window of the bakery was broken out. The officers arrived and confirmed the window was broken but nothing inside the business had been disturbed. There are no suspects at this time.
• 2400 block of Brockton, Jan. 21: A woman reported that as she carried groceries into her home her neighbor’s pit-bull dog followed her into the house. There was a brief confrontation between the pit-bull and her dog but neither animal was injured. The woman was able to escort the dog out of her home and back to the neighbor’s house without any further problems.
• , 228 W. Fourth, Jan. 21: A woman reported a tall, thin male wearing a green jacket entered the store and made a small purchase. The man then requested a series of money exchanges and left the store. The woman reported that the once he left, she realized she had fallen victim to a quick change scam. The woman determined that she had been shorted $100.
• , 25352 Woodward Ave., Jan. 21: A woman reported her coat was stolen from an unsecured coat rack.
• , 3601 W. 13 Mile, Jan. 23: An employee reported that they had received a $10 counterfeit bill on Jan. 18. Royal Oak officers confiscated the bill.
• , 825 E. 11 Mile, Jan. 24: A man reported that a person he allowed to spend the night stole $50 from him while he was sleeping. The person left prior to the man waking.
• , 1500 Lexington, Jan. 24: A student reported her purse had been stolen when she left it on a bench. The Royal Oak School liaison officer was able to review video of the incident and discovered a student had taken the purse, took some shoes from the purse and then disposed of the purse. All of the items were recovered and the suspect was charged with larceny and suspended from school.
• , 3415 Rochester, Jan. 24: An employee reported someone spray painted graffiti on the rear wall of the business.
• , 2123 Roseland, Jan. 24 (occurred Jan. 19): A woman reported that she was called over and introduced to an acquaintance’s dog. As she went to pet the dog, the animal bit her arm, pulled her to the ground and bit her on the face and ear.
• , Sherman and Lafayette, Jan. 24: During a motel check at the Royal Motel, a man was identified as having a parole absconder warrant for breaking and entering. Officers attempted to locate the man but discovered he had checked out the prior morning. Believing that he may be a frequent guest at the warming shelters, the officers checked St. Mary and discovered that a person matching the man’s description had just left on a bus. Officers continued to check the area and finally located and arrested the man at the bus station.

If you have any questions about this report, email Judy.Davids@Patch.com.