Home Invasion Suspects Arrested; Car Break-ins Spike

West Bloomfield Township Police Department reports from Oct. 30-Nov. 6 included 77 alarms, 28 crashes and nine arrests. Among the highlights:

Home invasion suspects arrested

West Bloomfield Police arrested a couple, suspected of a mid-October home invasion on the 7000 block of Honeysuckle, on Nov. 5.

According to Lt. Tim Diamond, Charles Wade Turner, 29, a resident of Walled Lake, and Christina Lynn Clanton, 30, a resident of West Bloomfield, were tracked to a trailer park in White Lake where they were arrested with little incident. Police from other municipalities have since questioned the suspects in connection to similar home invasion reports in recent weeks.

Both were charged with second-degree home invasion by 48th District Judge Marc Barron and remain in Oakland County Jail. Turner is out on $10,000 bond cash/surety, while Clanton has a $5,000 or 10 percent bond.

Windows broken, items taken from 14 cars

Police recently have stepped up patrols in a neighborhood near the intersection of Hiller and Greer roads in response to a rash of break-ins to cars in which windows were broken.

Diamond said that from at least seven cars, items were taken overnight Nov. 3 including cash, electronics, and sporting equipment. Fourteen cars at locations on Mountain Ash, Dawncrest, Bloomfield Oaks, Cherry Blossom, Charrington, Alder and Winton reported cars with windows broken.

While police have no suspects, Diamond said, officers on routine patrol at about 3 a.m. Nov. 6 found two people considered suspicious in the same neighborhood who could be connected with the previous incident. The possible suspects fled on foot and while officers converged on the neighborhood, Diamond said, the suspects could not be found.

Will it end soon? Diamond said that residents can help expedite the interest of the suspects by putting vehicles in their garage or simply removing any and all valuable items.

"Without looking at the numbers, I'd say these come in waves. Obviously, there's a crew out doing it now. It's probably kids. They'll do it for a while and then they'll stop," Diamond said.

"The bottom line is, do not leave anything visible in the car. Even if the door is locked. If they see something they want, they'll break the window." 

Car rear window cracked by BB gun fire

Police are investigating a report by a man claiming that trick-or-treaters may have fired a BB gun at his 1999 Toyota as he drove through a neighborhood near Maple and Orchard Lake roads on Halloween night, according to Diamond.

The man was driving near the intersection of Maple Creek and Trailview at about 9 p.m. Oct. 31 when he realized he was being fired at with a pellet gun, according to reports. His car was hit several times and police later noted a small, pellet-sized hole through his rear passenger window. 

Diamond said that the man did not get a good opportunity to search for who was firing due to the large number of trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood at that time. The incident resulted in about $200 worth of damage, according to reports.

15-year-old arrested after reckless driving causes crash

In the same neighborhood as the previous report, police arrested a 15-year-old who had crashed his father's 2007 Ford Focus into a tree at about 6:30 p.m. Nov. 3, according to Diamond.

Police reported that on the 7000 block of Hawk Woods, the driver and his 15-year-old passenger had left the vehicle after sustaining minor injuries in the accident. Police contacted the boy's father, who told police that he knew his son was driving the vehicle despite not having an operator's license. The boy returned home soon thereafter, where he and his passenger received medical attention.

The boy was given citations for leaving the scene of an accident, driving without a license, and reckless driving. 

If you have any information about these incidents, you can call West Bloomfield Police at (248) 975-9200. For questions about this report, email tim.rath@patch.com.