Police Blotter: Thieves Target Unoccupied Homes in Dearborn

Thieves targeted four unoccupied houses in Dearborn last week, stealing copper piping out of three and construction equipment out of the fourth, according to Dearborn police reports.

Officers responded to a call from the 6600 block of Appoline Street July 15 regarding stolen copper pipe from the victim’s basement, the report said. While the resident had moved out of the Appoline residence a week prior, he frequented the house daily to prepare it for sale, he said.

The responding officer saw no signs of forced entry in the home, but he did locate an unlocked window on the north side of the home, according to the report. The victim added that the house’s air conditioning unit had also been stolen on June 27. He said he believed the two incidents were related. 

The east-end home burglaries didn’t end there, however. An air conditioning unit and 300 feet of copper piping were stolen from a vacant home on the 7600 block of Middlepointe Street sometime between July 2 and July 15, according to Dearborn police.

The unknown suspect entered the home from its locked rear door, the owner of the property said. The responding officer inspected the door and saw pry marks near its jamb, the report said. Surrounding neighbors told Dearborn police they hadn’t seen anything unusual at the house.

A third burglary involving an unoccupied house and copper piping was reported July 15 on the 7300 block of Oakman Boulevard, according to police.

The responding officer spoke with the victim’s brother, who said he is currently doing repairs on the house. The man said he noticed the theft when he tried to get water on at the property Friday morning.

The unknown suspects gained entry through the house’s back door, which only was covered with plywood, the victim said. They then cut and stole the copper piping from both the basement water valve and upstairs bathroom, according to the report.

A final home burglary occurred the following day when thieves took construction equipment from an unoccupied house on the 7300 block of Ternes Street, according to a police report.

The house’s owner left the property at 9:30 a.m. July 16, he said. By the time his contractor, who is refurbishing the house, arrived at noon, the home’s side door was open and several tools were stolen: a RIDGID circular saw, a RIDGID table saw, a DeWalt circular saw, a DeWalt hammer drill and two Craftsman compressors.

The homeowner added that the point of entry had no locks or handles, although he attempted to secure the door with a wood stick before leaving, the report said.

For questions about this blotter, please contact jessica.carreras@patch.com.