Police Blotter: Store Employees Suspected of Embezzlement, Taking Money From Customer's Purse

Two Wal-Mart employees are suspected of embezzlement and stealing $40 from a customer's purse left unattended in a shopping cart, said Fenton Chief of Police Rick Aro. An officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart, 3700 Owen Road, around 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14.

The officer spoke with store security personnel, who said two employees were believed to have been stealing empty bottles and putting them back through the bottle machine to get money from the bottle deposits, Aro said. They said the employees would then cash the bottle return slips in at a cash register for money, reports state. The security employee from Wal-Mart also said the two suspects were stealing meals from the store's deli and eating them during lunch without paying.

The police officer interviewed both suspects, a 20-year-old Flint man and a 21-year-old Fenton man, Aro said. They admitted to taking the bottles in a written statement, police reported. During the interview, one of the men said he took $40 from a customer's purse that was left in a shopping cart, Aro said, and one of the suspects estimated he embezzled approximately $50 from bottle returns. Neither man admitted to taking meals from the store's deli.

After police obtained statements from the two men, they were released pending more investigation, police reports state. A report will be forwarded to the city prosecutor for warrant approval, Aro said.

Driving under the influence

A 26-year-old Burton man spent the night in the Fenton lockup after police say he left the scene of an accident and drove under the influence of prescription drugs, said Chief of Police Rick Aro. The driver reportedly was southbound on Silver Parkway, attempting to negotiate a curve in the road, when the vehicle coolided with the curb, flattening both front tires and bending the rims.

A police officer was dispatched to Silver Parkway and Silver Lake Road at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, for a one-car accident, Aro said. The vehicle, a red 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt not registered to the driver, left the accident scene southbound on Silver Parkway, the police report said.

A second Fenton police officer responded to the scene, and police located the car pulling into the parking lot. Officers located the vehicle due to its flat front tires and stopped the driver, Aro said.

While talking with the officers, the driver displayed signs of impairment, reports stated. He was given sobriety tests, which he did not complete satisfactorily, police said.

In addition, the man made statements to the officers about the drugs he had taken, the police chief said. Police are not releasing the names of the drugs at this time, but the drugs were prescription ones, Aro said.

The officers arrested the driver on charges of operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs and brought him to the police department, where he submitted to blood testing. Police placed him in a holding cell, where they held him until morning, Aro said.

Police contacted the city prosecutor for possible charges of operating under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving while his license was suspended, he said. They are awaiting the results of the blood testing.

Vehicle 'keyed' in court parking lot

A 50-year-old Birch Run woman visited the Fenton Police Department at 9:40 a.m. on Friday, saying her black 2012 Chevrolet Equinox was damaged while parked at the on Silver Parkway, between 8 and 10 a.m. on Jan. 10, Chief of Police Rick Aro said.

The woman reported the front driver's side quarter-panel of her vehicle had deep scratches, made by what she believes was a car key, police reports said. An officer examined the damage and took photographs.

She had no idea who damaged her vehicle, the woman told police. Aro said there were no witnesses, and the case is closed.