Shoplifter Caught With Shrimp From Whole Foods; Another Mailbox Destroyed

A Detroit woman faces a misdemeanor retail fraud charge for allegedly stealing shrimp from the Whole Foods Market in West Bloomfield, police reports said.

Officers with the West Bloomfield Township Police Department responded to the store at about 6 p.m. Feb. 21 after store security saw the woman take three containers of shrimp cocktail in her purse. Security identified the woman in the parking lot when officers arrived and authorities arrested 21-year-old suspect without incident. They also found barbecue chips in her purse. The total theft was estimated at $15.

Diamond said officers booked the woman at police headquarters and released her with a citation for misdemeanor count of retail fraud. She is scheduled to appear in court on March 6, reports said.

Malicious Destruction of Mailbox

Another residential mailbox was struck and destroyed by an unknown object last week, police reports said.

Officers that responded to a suspicious activity call in the 4000 block of Hardwoods at about 2:30 a.m. found the damaged mailbox in the roadway, Lt. Tim Diamond said.  Damage was estimated at $75. No suspect information was available, however Diamond said officers believe the incident was related to the suspicious activity call, which described a small white vehicle with four or five teenagers looming in the area.

Police investigated two similar calls in the 4000 block of Pine Village last week. Residents reported that their mailboxes were struck and destroyed by an unknown object sometime between Feb. 9 through Feb. 11, reports said. No suspect information is available in either incident.

Attempted Burglary

A resident in the 5000 block of Orchard Woods told police he returned home on Feb. 24 and found fresh footprints in the snow leading up to a rear screen door at about 7:30 p.m., reports said. The man said there were pry marks on the door, but that no one entered the home. 

The incident reportedly occurred sometime between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. No suspect information was available.

Check Frauds

West Bloomfield police investigated multiple reports of check fraud in the past week. The incidents remain under investigation.

• 6084 W. Maple Road — Mapleview Party Store: customer paid for merchandise with a bogus check.
• 6500 block of Crest Top Drive: A complaintant claimed they were given a bad check for carpet replacement on Feb. 20.
• 7500 block of Greenway Lane: a resident reported a personal check was stolen and used fraudulently by someone roughly 5 months ago, reports said.