Crime & Safety

Man Arrested for Drunken Driving With 2 Flat Tires, Brighton Police Search for Women Who Spent $10,000 on Stolen Credit Cards

The following information was supplied by area police agencies. Arrests and charges do not indicate convictions.

Here is a roundup of area crime.

Man Arrested for Drunken Driving After Driving With 2 Flat Tires

A 36-year-old Pontiac resident was arrested on charges of operating while under the influence (OUI) in White Lake, Jan. 12 at 5 a.m., after police said he was driving down M-59 with significant damage to his car and two completely flat tires.

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According to the report, an officer stopped the man after seeing the car's tail light was out and the car was sparking from driving with two flat tires. The tires were down to the rim, the report said.

When the officer spoke with the man, the report states, the man told him he was on his way to his girlfriend's house and that he thought he was driving on Elizabeth Lake Road, not M-59.

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The man was given a field sobriety test, which he failed, and a preliminary breath test. The report states that the man registered a .19 blood alcohol level. The legal limit is .08.

The man was arrested and taken to Oakland County Jail and released after sobering up pending the issuance of a warrant for OUI charges.

The report states that police couldn't locate what caused the damage to the front end of the car, or the two flat tires.

Police: Women Make More Than $10,000 in Purchases on Stolen Credit Cards

Brighton police are seeking help identifying two women who they say stole credit cards from a downtown Brighton business employee and then charged more than $10,000.

Police said the two women entered the downtown Brighton store on Monday afternoon, and while one of them distracted the clerk, the other located the employee's purse and stole her credit cards.

The women then used the stolen cards to purchase more than $10,000 in gift cards at the Genoa Township Walmart, police said.

Brighton Police Chief Tom Wightman said the theft follows a standard pattern that happens at retail establishments everywhere where two suspects work together, one distracts and the other steals.

Wightman said employee purses should be kept in a safe place, away from the front counter and preferably in a locked location. Businesses should also dial 911 if they feel someone is acting suspiciously.

The suspects are described as female, one black and one white, both in their late 20's or early 30's.

Police did not identify the business.

Anyone with information should contact the Brighton Police Department at 810-227-2700.

Man Claims to be Santa Claus During Troy Home Invasion

Troy officers were dispatched to a home on VanCourtland just after midnight on Sunday where they discovered a home invasion in progress, according to the report. The homeowner told police she woke up and found a strange man in her home. After asking who the man was, he responded that he was "Santa Claus" before grabbing a set of keys and exiting the home, the report stated. Officers immediately searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect. Later that day, a person, matching the description of the man, was seen at a bus stop on Maple Road. After running away, he was later located and arrested, according to the report.

- Brooke Tajer, Kristen Skladd and Nicole Krawcke contributed to this report.


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