Police Blotter: Driver Cited in 3-Car Crash

police issued a failure to yield traffic citation to a Harper Woods woman earlier this week after she caused a three-car crash on Mack Avenue in the driveway to Kroger.

The woman was using the Lancaster Road turnaround on Mack Avenue to enter Kroger. She began pulling into the driveway and was hit by another car traveling north on Mack Avenue. The impact of that crash caused the first car to strike the retaining wall that separates the parking lot from the sidewalk and to crash into a third vehicle that was trying to leave the Kroger lot. There were no critical injuries related to the crash, although the 10-year-old son of the driver cited in the crash was taken to an area hospital. Her vehicle also had to be towed from the crash while the other two drivers were able to drive away from the scene, Woods Sgt. Raymond Yonkowski said. The crash caused a backup on Mack Avenue as the far lane of traffic was blocked during the investigation and cleanup. 

Catalytic Converters Target of Thefts

police are investigating a variety of crimes related to catalytic converters from vehicles. Officers were called to the 800 block of Barrington Road where the exhaust pipe of a 2002 Chevrolet Venture was cut near the catalytic converter overnight Dec. 11 to 12. The catalytic converter was not taken from this vehicle. A few days later on Dec. 15 shortly before 5 a.m., officers were called to a theft that was believed to be happening near Mack and Lakepointe in which a person was trying to remove a catalytic converter from a 2004 Oldsmobile Alero. Patrol officers drove upon the attempted theft and had a short pursuit with a getaway vehicle, which was lost shortly after entering Detroit. Later that same day between 4:30 to 5 p.m. the catalytic converter was stolen from a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier in the 15200 block of Jefferson. 

In other reports, Park police are also investigating damage to two vehicles, including the smashing of a rear window of a 2008 Chevrolet Impala parked in the 1300 block of Maryland Road, and scratches to a 2005 BMW X5 on Windmill Pointe Park.

Passed Out Driver at Wheel of Running Car Arrested

police arrested a 20-year-old Grosse Pointe Woods woman for drunken driving early Friday after she was found passed out in her running car that was on the median of Mack Avenue near Moross Road shortly after 5 a.m. The vehicle was still in drive when the officer arrived. The officer knocked on the window, gained the attention of the woman and had her put the car in park and then exit. She was unsteady on her feet, smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech. She admitted to drinking a pint of vodka and failed field sobriety tests. An initial breathalyzer showed a 0.09 percent blood alcohol content and a more official test performed a short time later revealed a result of 0.11 percent blood alcohol content. She was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. 

Man Arrested for Trespassing

Grosse Pointe Farms police arrested a 22-year-old Novi man early Friday after he refused to leave the retail portion of the Mack/Moross BP gas station. The man told an officer he was intending to pay for the items he selected but had nowhere to go. The owner told police he wanted the man to leave but he refused even after the officer told him he would be arrested for trespassing. The man was charged with a misdemeanor count of trespassing and taken into police custody, according to a report.

Knife Confiscated in Traffic Stop

Grosse Pointe Farms police confiscated a hunting knife that exceeded the size allowable under the concealed weapons laws from a car that was stopped for a violation on Mack Avenue near Hillcrest on Dec. 22. The driver was taken into custody on unrelated warrants from Macomb County and the others in the car were released at the scene. The knife was in the car's glovebox and the men, ages 19 to 22, told the officer they did not know the knife was in the car and did not know to whom it belonged. The driver said it was his parents' car. The officer took the knife into police evidence and it can be retrieved by the owner with proof of ownership, according to a report. 

Teen Found with Cigarettes, Marijuana

A Grosse Pointe Farms youth police officer is working with a 15-year-old Grosse Pointe Park resident after she was found in possession of cigarettes and a marijuana roach during lunch time from Grosse Pointe South. The girl was walking with five other young people on Grosse Pointe Boulevard near Pine Court about 11:45 a.m. Dec. 21 when a patrol officer spotted a cigarette behind her ear. The officer stopped to investigate, and she had hidden it before he exited the car. After finally admitting to having one cigarette and agreeing to give it up, she tried to hide something in her sleeve while rummaging through her purse for it, causing the officer to investigate further and leading to the discovery of the marijuana. The girl was released to her mother and the case was turned over to the youth officer, according to a report.