Arson Attempted on Farmington Hills Vehicles with Michigan State Insignia

Residents in the 28000 block of Secluded Lane and the 35000 block of Spring Hill Rd. called police Monday morning, after finding charred pieces of toilet paper in the gas tanks of their vehicles.

According to the reports, the incidents had a number of things in common. Both occurred overnight, both vehicles were parked on the street, about two miles apart, and both displayed Michigan State University insignias somewhere on the vehicle. 

Vehicle thefts

• A resident on Green Hill Road called police at around 9:30 p.m. Sunday to report the theft of a vehicle that had been parked under the carport at his apartment building. Police found broken glass on the ground where the car was located, the report indicated. A second vehicle was reported stolen from the complex Sunday morning.
• A business owner on Whitlock called police Sunday afternoon to report that his brother's 2003 Harley Davidson Road King motorcycle had been stolen from its parking spot at the business. According to the report, the theft occurred sometime between 11 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. 
• On Sunday afternoon, a resident on Parklane reported someone apparently attempted to steal his vehicle. According to the report, the owner told police the vehicle was parked and locked in the driveway between Saturday, 8 p.m., and Sunday at noon, and a neighbor advised him that a vehicle door was open. The owner found the driver and passenger side locks pried, and a passenger side window shattered. The report indicated that plastic had been removed from around the ignition, which was damaged. 

Hit and run

A Southfield man who was traveling south on Orchard Lake at 12 Mile on Aug. 23 at around 9:45 a.m. told police that while he was in a traffic lane, the vehicle ahead of his backed up into the front of his car, then left the scene. The report indicated there was only minor damage to the man's vehicle. 

Drunken driving arrest

A 47-year-old Detroit man faces a charge of drunken driving, after a police officer saw his vehicle run a blinking red light at Orchard Lake and I-696 at around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday. According to the report, the officer noticed a strong odor of intoxicants while talking with the driver, who initially refused a preliminary breath test. While at the police station, the driver consented to the test, which showed his blood alcohol was .04, which is lower than the .08 legal limit. However, the report noted that the driver kept falling asleep while sitting upright. The man was also ticketed for having no insurance and no valid license; his vehicle was impounded because it had a suspicious-looking vehicle identification number. 

Narcotics arrests

• A 31-year-old Toledo woman faces a charge of crack cocaine possession, after police saw her and a 54-year-old Madison Heights man enter a minivan parked in front of a hotel on Grand River early Monday morning. According to the report, the woman told police she was living at the hotel and that she had crack cocaine in her room. She also admitted to being a prostitute, servicing clients in the room, but said the man was not a client. The report noted that the man told police he likes to hang around with the woman for the "beauty that she possesses inside". Notebooks, documents and a thumb drive with information on the woman's prostitution activity were confiscated. 
• A resident in the 30000 block of Rockdale Ave. called police at around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, after seeing two people smoking marijuana in his backyard. According to the report, the men were gone when officers arrived, but police tracked them down on Floral. One of the men had a keychain pill container with marijuana seeds inside; police also confiscated a marijuana grinder with drug residue inside. 
• A 26-year-old Novi man faces charges of marijuana possession, after his vehicle was stopped on M-5 at around 8:20 p.m. Sunday for having a defective brake light. According to the report, the officer noticed an odor of marijuana while talking with the driver, who admitted there was "weed" in the car. The officer found a marijuana cigarette, which a passenger said belonged to him, along with a small bag of marijuana in the glove box. The driver, a 25-year-old Novi man, was ticketed for the equipment violation and released, along with another passenger. 

Breaking and entering

A resident in the 36000 block of Jefferson Court called police late Monday morning to report the theft of an LCD television set and jewelry, valued at nearly $6,000. According to the report, the resident returned home to find a sliding glass door and screen open and the apartment ransacked.