Customers' Quick Action Results in Arrest of Recycling Thieves

While on routine patrol, officers with the Chelsea Police Department responded to the 1200 block of S. Main Street on Oct. 5 in response to a larceny complaint. Upon arrival witnesses informed officers that employees were emptying out the bottle and can machines at a local grocery store and when they were not looking, the suspects took multiple bottles out of the bins and re-deposited them into the machine. One of the suspects attempted to cash the receipts for the returnable bottles.

The suspects, a 21-year-old Chelsea woman and a 24-year-old Chelsea man, were taken into custody and transported to the Chelsea Police Department, where they were interviewed and released pending authorization by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office. The suspects were issued a trespass citation, which prohibits them from entering the location for one year.

Larceny from a vehicle

An Apple iPod Touch was removed from a vehicle parked near the 700 block of North Freer Road in Chelsea on Oct. 5. According to police reports, the owner contacted police on Oct. 7 and informed officers that she parked her vehicle in the lot near her place of employment. When she returned to her vehicle at approximately 12:30 a.m. she noticed that the iPod was missing from the console of her vehicle. There were no signs of forced entry and no suspect information. The case is closed.

Retail fraud

On Oct. 4, officers with the Chelsea Police Department were dispatched to the 1200 block of S. Main Street for a retail fraud complaint that occurred around 12:20 p.m. The suspect, a 22-year-old Manchester man, was arrested at the scene. The case remains open pending review by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office.