Crime Report: Vacant Homes Targeted in Break-Ins

Three Dearborn homes that are vacant and under renovation were broken into within the past week, according to reports. Two were robbed of copper piping.

On the 7900 block of Freda, a vacant home owned by a Dearborn Heights resident was found to be missing copper plumbing from the basement around 4 p.m. March 18. The owner, who plans to rent the property, said he had not been to the house to check on it since March 11.

On the 800 block of Mohawk, also on March 18, a homeowner staying nearby on Vernon while her Mohawk house is being renovated found that someone had broken inside.

According to the owner, one of the entry doors was forced open to gain entry. Signs of an intruder of the four-legged variety were apparent, including scratch marks and paw prints on the walls, as well as animal feces in one of the rooms. The woman assured police that she and her husband do not own a dog.

Nothing was stolen, but a break-in time was hard to pinpoint, as the couple had not checked on the home since March 12.

A third vacant home was broken into during the early morning hours of March 19.

Owners of the property on the 7500 block of Ternes told police that between 10:30 p.m. March 18 and the following morning, someone had broken in by smashing a window, and had stolen copper pipe from their basement. The piping was later found in a garbage bag near the property line.

A neighbor across the street said that he was sitting on his porch around 2:30 a.m. and saw someone hop the fence from the property next door, which is also a vacant home. The neighbor said that the culprit was a short, thin man, but had no other descriptors.

For questions on this blotter, email jessica.carreras@patch.com.