Search Comes Up Empty for iPhone Robbery Suspect

West Bloomfield Township Police Department reports from Jan. 10-16 included 79 alarms, 22 crashes and 11 arrests. Among the highlights:

Search comes up empty for iPhone robbery suspect

West Bloomfield Police Lt. Tim Diamond said that investigators lost track of a man suspected to have taken an iPhone from a 16-year-old West Bloomfield boy.

Diamond continued that the two had met on Craigslist, where the two had reached an agreement for the boy to sell his iPhone 4 for $180 and met at Caribou Coffee at about 10 p.m. Jan. 11.

Shortly after meeting the interested buyer, the boy let him inspect the iPhone for damage, Diamond said. The suspect then took off on foot, south through the parking lot, Diamond continued.

Farmington Police K-9 units could not find the suspect and it is believed he had an accomplice who drove him away from the scene, Diamond added. The suspect is believed to be male, about 180 lbs. and stands 5'11".

Suspects arrested in connection to thefts from Annie Sez

An observant employee of Annie Sez helped West Bloomfield Police track down two Pontiac residents who were arrested for shoplifting from the Orchard Mall retail outlet, according to Diamond.

Diamond said that the two were seen wandering the store in a suspicious way around 4:30 p.m. Jan. 13, before leaving in a black Chevrolet Malibu which was waiting for them outside the store. Diamond continued that the employee recorded the car's license plate number and called police, who were able to find the car at the Middlebelt and Square Lake roads intersection in Bloomfield.

Four purses valued at over $600 which were believed to have been taken from the shop that afternoon were recovered in the car, Diamond said. Cierra McDonald, 24, of Pontiac, and Givontae Watkins, 20, of Pontiac, were arrested and charged with retail fraud in connection with the thefts, Diamond added.

New homeowner discovers door kicked down

A resident of a recently-sold, but not yet inhabited home on the 4000 block of Marlwood reported a break-in on Jan. 16, Diamond said.

The incident, believed to have occurred between 7 p.m. the previous night and 10:30 a.m. that day, did not result in anything being taken from the home, Diamond said. However, the homeowner will have to replace a pedestrian door which had been kicked in by the suspect or suspects, Diamond added.

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.