The Year in Crime on West Bloomfield Patch

By any measure, one story caught the attention of West Bloomfield Patch readers far more than any other we reported this year.

Reports about the brutal death of Jonathan Hoffman, 17, of West Bloomfield and the connected arrest of his grandmother Sandra Layne, 74, broke Friday night, May 18. Later, we learned of the relationships between Hoffman, his friends and family — including Layne, whose relationship with the teen had been strained, according to attorneys.

The tragedy also helped spur public outcry which led to the banning of K-2 in West Bloomfield, the synthetic drug of which attorneys said Hoffman had been tested positive on the day of his death.

The most-popular stories of the year on West Bloomfield Patch, gauged by traffic, included the following:

• May 21: Grandmother Charged with Murder in Grandson's Shooting
• Sept. 10: Suspect in West Bloomfield Officer's Shooting Found Dead
• Dec. 17: Superintendent Explains Lockdown in Letter to Parents
• Feb. 10: Author Jeffrey Zaslow Dies in Auto Accident
• Sept. 5: FBI Conducts Raid at West Bloomfield Home
• Jan. 28: Drunken Local Teen Found Lying in Road
• Apr. 11: West Bloomfield Woman Blocks Attempted Photograph in Clothing Store Dressing Room
• Jan. 11: 
• Aug. 14: Police: Husband of Shoplifter Punches Officer
• Jan. 5: West Bloomfield Man Linked to I-696 Death