3 Men Arraigned After String of Thefts in White Lake

Three men from White Lake, Highland and Davisburg were arraigned Friday on 17 total charges stemming from a series of break-ins in White Lake.

According to White Lake Police, the men were caught early Wednesday after a homeowner on Ridge Road chased the men down the street.

Lt. Don Nankervis said the man went to his attached garage at 4 a.m. after his home's security alarm went off. Nankervis said when the man opened the door he observed at least two people inside his garage. He took after them, according to the report, and chased them down the street while his wife called 911.

The man told police he caught up with one of the individuals and confronted him before the suspect ran again. Police responded to the area, Nankervis said, and found a car parked down the street from the house where the individuals ran from. In the car, Nankervis said, were several electronics.

"The officer checked the registration on the radar detector in the car and found it was registered to a home in White Lake, the car was from out of the area," Nankervis said."

Police swept the area and found a man traveling on foot whose identity matched up with the found vehicle. Following some questioning by police, according to the report, the man acknowledged that he and two others had been out and going through cars for items.

The man was arrested and taken to the station, while other officers continued to look for the other two men involved.

Later in the day, police were able to identify where the items in the car belonged and matched them to reports of stolen goods from homes in Fox Chase and along Ridge Road.

Further investigation led police to the two other suspects, and with help from Oakland County Sheriff's deputies two more men were arrested. During questioning, one of the men told police the trio had gone through at least 20 different cars and garages in the area.

On Friday, Joseph Sherman, 21, of White Lake; Jeremy Girrard, 21, of Davisburg; and Trevor Stevens 20, of Highland were arraigned on a total of 17 charges, including felony larceny from auto and felony home invasion. Sherman's bond was set at $35,000 cash, Girrard's at $25,000 cash, and Stevens at $7,500 cash.

Nankervis said all items recovered from the thefts have been identified and police are in the process of returning the items to their owners.

For questions about this crime report, email brooke.meier@patch.com.