Police Blotter: White Lake Township Police Reports, March 18-29

Friday, March 18

Series of  thefts from vehicles

According to , between the hours of 6 p.m. March 18 and 10 a.m. March 19, 10 vehicles on Hillwood Drive had items stolen out of them. 

Police said the items taken included a GPS unit, music CDs, hockey equipment, a cellphone, a ladder, a tool chest and several tools, including socket wrenches, drill bits, pipe wrenches, electric drills and an air compressor.

According to Michigan law, unlawfully taking an electronic device from a vehicle is considered a felony. If caught, the person(s) responsible for the thefts could face felony charges of larceny from a vehicle. 

Police Lt. Adam Kline said police have a possible suspect and are still working on the case. 

In each of these thefts, the vehicles were reportedly left unlocked or had faulty locking hardware. Police recommend that citizens always lock unattended vehicles.

Any information regarding this case should be reported to the White Lake Township police.

Retail frauds possibly linked

Police are seeking assistance in finding a man responsible for a series of retail frauds. The suspect is described as a balding male with a medium-tall build, possibly in his mid-30s. 

According to police, the man went into the Pet Supplies Plus store on Cooley Lake Road on March 23, removed two bags of dog food from the shelf and took the bags to a counter where a clerk was not present. When a clerk arrived to assist him, the man said he was a K-9 officer and that he had spoken to a store manager the day prior and wanted to return the two bags of food, according to police.

Police said the clerk gave the man $52.98 in cash as a refund. Kline said similar occurrences were reported at other Pet Supplies Plus stores that day outside the White Lake Township police jurisdiction.

In a similar report, police responded to a call at 3:59 a.m. Tuesday from the Speedway gas station on the corner of White Banks and M-59. The clerk told police that a man fitting the aforementioned description had entered the store and placed nine maps, worth $53, on the counter when the clerk was not present. According to police, when the clerk returned to the register, the man said he wanted to return the maps. The clerk told the man that a receipt was needed in order to return the maps, said police. The man then reportedly told the clerk that he was an undercover police officer. Police said the clerk still refused to give the man a refund, at which point he said he would go get his identification and receipt from his vehicle. According to police, the man did not return. 

No vehicle description was able to be obtained, said police. 

If caught, the person(s) responsible for these alleged crimes could face retail fraud charges, as well as a possible misdemeanor charge of impersonating an officer with unlawful purpose. 

Any information regarding this case should be reported to the White Lake Township police. 

Police Blotter information is provided by law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proved guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify White Lake Patch Editor Brooke Meier at Brooke.Meier@patch.com. We will verify and report the outcome.