Crime Blotter: 4 Home Break-Ins Reported

Four home break-ins–three of which may be related–were reported to this week.

The first occurred on Saturday, Dec. 17, on the 6400 block of Coleman. A neighbor across the street observed a suspicious looking person approaching the house's front door around 9 p.m.

According to the woman, the man removed the lightbulb from the front porch light before putting on a pair of gloves and entering the home. He then drew the blinds in the front windows, prompting her to call the police.

Police were en route to the home when the homeowner returned, entering through the back door. When police arrived, he confirmed that there had been a break-in, and that he believed the purpetrator was still in the house.

Officers searched the home, but found no one. However, a window was open in a main floor bedroom that previously had not been open.

A K-9 search of the area found a trail that led police to the area of Barrie and Hemlock, where they found a set of seven keys identical to those of the homeowner. The resident confirmed that the keys would allow access to his house, but said that the only person with access to the keys recently was a mechanic who used them two weeks prior to the break-in.

No arrests were made at that time.

Break-ins on West End May be Connected

A string of three attempted and completed home robberies in the Cherry Hill Estates neighborhood west of Telegraph were reported Monday to Dearborn police.

A homeowner on the 24300 block of Wilson left the residence at noon and came back at 11 p.m. to find the window to her screened-in porch open, as well as the gate to the back yard. The woman could find nothing missing, but fresh footprints were found in the garden bed.

Her daughter also confirmed that when she left the house at 4 p.m. that afternoon, the window was not open.

A resident of the 1300 block of Drexel was away from his home from 6:40 a.m. to 11:40 p.m. on Monday, also reported that his home had been broken into during that time period.

When the man came home, he saw the gate on his fence was open and that his house was cold when he went inside. Upon inspection, the man found that the window on the door in a room on the main floor had been shattered. A brick from his patio was found lying on the floor amidst broken glass, according to the report.

Two nightstands and a dresser in the upstairs bedroom had been disturbed, but nothing was missing that he could see–even though drill driver, laptop and flat screen TV in box were out in plain site.

Another break-in was reported on the 800 block of Drexel during the same time period. In this case, the homeowner also told police that a glass door had been shattered. A garden statuepresumably used to break the door–was found in the room.

According to the report, both residents of the house were away between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. When they came home, they both ate dinner and went into their basement to watch TV. It was not until the wife went upstairs to go to bed that she noticed a cold draft, which led her to the broken door.

The residents were unsure if the break-in occurred while they were out, or while they were downstairs watching TV.

After surveying the house, the couple found that both bedrooms of the house had been ransacked, and that more than $2,000 in jewelry had been taken.

For more information on this crime report, contact jessica.carreras@patch.com.