Police: White Lake Men Arrested on Charges of Vagrancy; Another Arrested on Charges of Stalking

Among the highlights of recent  reports:

White Lake men caught begging at Gateway Plaza

Two men from White Lake Township were arrested on Wednesday on charges of vagrancy after they were caught begging at various stores located in the Gateway Plaza, according to Lt. Tim Diamond.

Officers on patrol observed a suspicious circumstance in which one of the men had walked out of Kohl's Department Store and in-between cars, "looking around, like he had done something," Diamond said. The two were questioned after officers approached them inside their pickup truck.

"They were trying to get gas money, which is illegal," Diamond said. "One of the man had tried to give the officer a name, which was later found to be false."

A 20-year-old man was arrested on charges of vagrancy and issued a citation under a local ordinance. A 25-year-old man was arrested on charges of obstruction in addition to vagrancy and had multiple warrants for his arrest, according to Diamond.

Both charges are 90-day misdemeanors. The men have not been arraigned.

White Lake man accused of stalking waiter

Police believe that a "regular" at a White Lake watering hole caused a scene at a waiter's West Bloomfield home as she held a garage sale, according to Diamond.

Joseph Earl McPeek, 43, of White Lake, was arrested Jul. 14 on charges of stalking, a one-year misdemeanor. Diamond said that he had contacted the 38-year-old, female waiter at after she had asked him to stop on multiple occasions.

"Apparently, she has befriended him to some extent, as well as many other regulars at the bar," Diamond said. "This guy apparently misrepresented this relationship as involving romantic interest, which it is not."

Diamond continued that police were called to her home, on the 1500 block of Wilmot, after he had caused a scene by threatening shoppers. White Lake Police arrested the man and transferred him to the West Bloomfield police station.

McPeek was arraigned and jailed but has since been released. He will be at 48th District Court for a pre-trial exam Aug. 18.

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