Crime & Safety

Menorah Stolen from Vacant Home; Vandals Damage House

The following information was provided by the West Bloomfield Township Police Department.

reports from Dec. 14-19 included 73 alarms, 15 crashes and 11 arrests. Among the highlights:

Menorah stolen from vacant home

A menorah was among two items stolen from a vacant home sometime Dec. 11-16, according to West Bloomfield Police Lt. Tim Diamond.

The home on the 6900 block of Merrybrook North had been vacant for three-four months, Diamond said, but the homeowners still had valuables inside with intentions of selling the home sometime soon. The rear garage door, the door leading from the garage to the house and a locked bedroom door were pried open, Diamond said.

Find out what's happening in West Bloomfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Thieves stole a 10-karat, gold menorah from the bedroom, as well as a two-tiered, sterling silver serving tray, worth a combined $700.

Diamond said there were no suspects, nor is it known how many people were involved.

Find out what's happening in West Bloomfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Home vandalized while owners away

The interior of a home on the 4100 block of Highland Court was reported Dec. 15 to have been heavily damaged while the homeowner was away, West Bloomfield Police Lt. Tim Diamond said, in a case that reminds police of a

"The suspects, we believed to be young teenagers, went in and just destroyed the inside of the home. This is the same thing," Diamond said.

Diamond said a neighbor reported an open door and window at the residence. It was discovered that someone had used bricks to break open a basement window to gain entry, Diamond said.

Once the vandals got inside, it appears they drank alcoholic beverages that the homeowners kept in the home and used an axe and a sledgehammer located inside the house to make holes in the walls, cabinets, pool table, ceiling, glass china cabinet and leather couch.

"The homeowners were out of town, so it appears to be the same group that did the one on Haggerty (Oct. 17)," Diamond said. "We never found who did that. We even did surveillance in the area, just didn't have any luck."

No items appear to have been stolen and the case is under investigation.

Wave of thefts from unlocked vehicles

Unlocked vehicles from seven separate locations in the same subdivision were broken into overnight Dec. 18-19, West Bloomfield Police Lt. Tim Diamond said.

While police said they have no suspects they believe the thieves to be "middle school-aged, high school-aged kids" due to the nature of what is being stolen, including change, credit cards, sunglasses, a stroller and small electronics, Diamond said. The seven reports indicate $1,214 worth of goods were stolen, but no damage occurred to any of the vehicles.

"They're all in one subdivision. It's like they're hitting here and there — picking their spots — rather, they're on foot. That means they don't have cars, which means they're probably teenagers," Diamond said.

Diamond said residents should keep doors locked at all times and keep valuables hidden from plain sight or removed all together from vehicles overnight.

"That's all they're doing — walking up, seeing something they like, checking the door and taking it. This group doesn't appear to be the type to break your windows, they're just opportunists looking for unlocked cars," Diamond said.

Police are increasing overnight patrols in subdivisions.

For questions about this report, email Tim.Rath@patch.com.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from West Bloomfield