Crime Report: Woman Out $725 in Television Set Scam

A 47-year-old Milford Twp. woman told police on Dec. 20 that she gave a  employee $725 to purchase a damaged television set, in a transaction apart from regular store business, and never received the item.

According to the report, the woman had previously purchased an item directly from the employee, believing that the store allowed employees to sell damaged goods. He approached her about the 92" 3-D television set on Oct. 16, and she gave him a check that was cashed the following day. When she tried to contact him about having the set delivered, she was told by a company representative that the television set did not exist, the man was no longer employed with Direct Buy and he had made similar arrangements with other customers, the report indicated. The woman was also told the company does not allow sales of damaged merchandise. The report did not indicate whether any charges would be brought against the former employee.

Drunk driving arrests

A 23-year-old Farmington Hills man faces a charge of drunk driving after his vehicle was stopped at Power Rd. and Leelane around 3 a.m. on Dec. 22. According to the report, an officer clocked the vehicle traveling at 44 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone. When he spoke with the driver, the officer noticed an odor of intoxicants, and the driver said he had just come from a local bar. The report indicated that a portable breath test registered his blood alcohol level at .14, which is more than the .08 legal limit. 

A 21-year-old Flat Rock woman faces a charge of drunk driving after a Farmington officer found her parked in the alley behind Uptown Plaza at Grand River and Mooney on Dec. 20 around 3 a.m. According to the report, the woman told the officer she had attended a holiday party and was unfamiliar with the area, so she called her boyfriend to pick her up. The officer noticed an odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle; a portable breath test recorded the woman's blood alcohol level at .16, which is twice the .08 legal limit. 

Embezzlement alleged

An auditor for O'Reilly Auto Parts on Grand River called police on Dec. 20 to report an employee had admitted to taking money from the business. According to the report, the 24-year-old Burton, MI man told police that he had taken money from the register because he could not afford gas for his pick-up truck. The man was released pending the issuance of an arrest warrant. 

Debit card taken

A Farmington Hills teen told police that after eating at a restaurant on Farmington Rd. Dec. 21, she returned home to find her debit card missing. She called her bank to cancel the card and learned it had been used at a gas station in Livonia. The teen told police she suspects the card dropped out of her pocket as she left the restaurant, and someone picked it up in the parking lot. 

Theft at

An employee at Bargain Books on Grand River in downtown Farmington told police that two men came into the store on Dec. 19 and apparently left with cash from the register. According to the report, the clerk said one of the men kept her talking about books in the northeast corner of the store, while the other man walked around near the cash register. When the men left, the clerk checked the register and found all the $20 bills missing. The report did not indicate exactly how much money was taken. 

For more information about these reports, contact editor Joni Hubred-Golden, joni.hubred-golden@patch.com.