Police Blotter: Retail Fraud, Smooth Driving

Police arrested a 28-year-old Linden resident on charges of retail fraud around 2:20 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Fenton.

Chief Rick Aro said store employees reported seeing the man take several Playstation 3 video games and a Nintendo Wii controller from the electronics department and place them in the cart next to a small child.

Aro said employees reported he then went to a different area of the store and removed the packaging and put the items down the front of his pants and in a diaper bag. He added that employees said the suspect then attempted to leave the store without paying for the items and was confronted by security personnel. Aro said the items were valued at $300.

 Aro said the suspect was held by security until officers arrived to arrest him. Aro said the man was booked at the Fenton Police Department, given a notice to appear in court and was released. A relative was called to pick up the small child, according to Aro.

Aro said the man told officers he tried to take to the items to help support a drug habit.

Smooth driving

Aro said there were seven accidents reported in the city from Feb. 20 to Feb. 22 during and after the winter storm that dropped eight inches of snow on Fenton.

Aro credited Fenton's Department of Public Works.

“Our DPW does a great job of clearing roads,” Aro said.