Woman blasted on social media is no porch pirate, police say

A post on a community Facebook page last week showed a surveillance video picture of a woman in a black dress on a porch in the 1100 block Woodlawn where she took two small bench pillows.

Police got a report from the owner of what was thought to be an intentional theft at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 18. The owner put the woman’s picture on Facebook, which generated many condemnatory comments.

Police investigated and said the woman in the black dress is a local homeowner. She came to the police station with proof that a neighbor was giving away free pillows in a Facebook Marketplace post.

The woman, however, made one mistake, police said.

“She got the address wrong and went to the wrong house,” several doors away, said Royal Oak police Lt. Albert Carter.

The two bench pillows taken from the owner’s porch, worth $25, have been returned.

Burglary, counterfeit money suspect faces hearing

A man is due back in Royal Oak 44th District Court on Friday where he is charged with multiple felonies involving home invasion, burglary, counterfeit money, and two counts of larceny in a building.

Police said the suspect, Davadius Sanders, 30, committed the crimes between Aug. 16-18 in five incidents, including a burglary larceny at a Kroger store in Troy.

Police had to investigate and retrace the multiple crimes, some of which were connected to items he had in a stolen backpack when he was arrested Aug. 18.

The series of crimes started at the CVS store on Woodward Avenue near 13 Mile Road. Sanders tried to buy a pack of lighters with a counterfeit $20 bill. An employee refused to take the bill and police said Sanders stole the lighters.

He then went to a nearby Mobil gas station and stole some scratch-off lottery tickets while a clerk was away from the counter area, police said.

From there, officers reported he went to an apartment complex on Coolidge Highway near 13 Mile Road and threw a rock through the window to get inside a woman’s apartment while she was gone. Sanders entered the apartment and stole the owner’s passport, checkbook, membership cards and some foreign currency, police said.

After that, Sanders is accused of going to the Meijer store on Coolidge and stealing an employee’s backpack.

Sanders is also tied to a theft late Aug. 18 at a Kroger store at 1237 Coolidge in Troy. Police said the store was closed, but the suspect pried the automatic sliding doors open and began stealing bottles of liquor. He left the store after an employee confronted him but stole a shopping cart, police said.

Sanders confessed to the crimes after he was arrested and appears to have psychological challenges, police said.

He possessed a crack pipe when he was arrested.

The suspect, a former Oak Park resident, is homeless. He was arraigned last week and is jailed on $25,000, 10-percent bond.

TV stolen in reported break-in

A couple who lives in the 200 block of East 13 Mile Road reported someone stole a television set and stole multiple items from their garage while they were out of town Aug. 15.

Police said their investigation is still underway.

The couple’s son was watching the house while they were away. A relative who wasn’t supposed to be at the house reportedly took the TV, saying it needed to be repaired, police said.

Stolen Jeep recovered in Detroit

A 2018 Jeep Trail Hawk stolen from the owner’s driveway was later found abandoned in Detroit.

The vehicle was reported stolen Aug. 18. Police said someone smashed out a window of the Jeep in order to steal it.

SUV stolen on street where items taken from unlocked cars

Someone stealing items from unlocked vehicles in the 200 block of North Dorchester Ave. Aug. 17 ended up stealing a 2011 Ford Explorer.

The keys to the Explorer were inside the owner’s second unlocked vehicle parked next to it and used to drive the SUV away, police said.

A GPS unit was stolen from another car on the same street, and candy was taken from someone else’s unlocked car.

Catalytic converters taken from business vehicles

Someone sawed catalytic converters off of two business vehicles at 1500 N. Stephenson Highway.

The business is the Modern Skate and Surf facility.

Police said the converters were taken from a Ford van and a box truck.  A report said the business owner told police the thefts happened sometime between last month and Aug. 12.

-Mike McConnell, Tribune staff writer