Novi Resident Receives Death-Threats on Cell Phone; Man Arrested for Child Neglect

A man reported that someone called his work cell phone around 5 a.m. on April 20, threatening him and his family, according to a police report. The 36-year-old was at his home on Chesapeake Drive when he received a phone call from a private number, the report said. The caller asked if the man’s wife and children were in the house and repeated the question several times, the report said. According to the police report, the man told the caller that he had the wrong number, and the caller said, “We are going to come in and kill you.”

The man then put his phone on mute and continued to listen to the caller, who started speaking in a foreign language, the report said. The man said the caller never made any indication that he knew where he lived nor did the caller give out any information specific to him or his family, the report said. The man also said he did not receive any suspicious calls to his landline, the report said.

While the officer was talking to the man, the caller called back three more times. When the officer answered the phone, the caller started speaking in a foreign language and the officer was unable to get any information from him, the report said.

The man works in Detroit and said not many people have the number to his work cell phone, the report said. The man said the caller did call him by name at one point, but only after hearing it on the voicemail that states his name, the report said.

According to the police report, the man was very concerned because the call upset his wife and they have two children. The police officer checked the subdivision and did not find any suspicious people or activities, the report said.

The man said he is going to contact the person at his work who is in charge of the phones to see if they can get the records, and he is also going to talk directly to his wireless provider.

The family has requested extra patrols in the area, and the case has been forwarded to Detect Bureau for investigation.

Daughter arrested for having marijuana, father arrested for child neglect

An 18-year-old woman was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and her father was subsequently arrested on charges of child neglect on April 21, according to a police report.

At 6 a.m., a police officer saw the woman’s car on 10 Mile Road and Meadowbrook Road and remembered it from being parked on Glenda Street earlier that night, where it was the subject of a suspicious vehicle complaint, the report said. The officer followed the car and saw it weaving in its lane; it had also crossed both the centerline and fog line, the report said.

The officer stopped the car and asked the driver where she had been that night, the report said. The woman told the officer that she got off work at 9:30 p.m., went home and did not leave until this morning, the report said. The officer told her he knew she was lying because he saw her car earlier and asked if he could search the car, the report said.

The officer found 0.3 grams of marijuana inside the woman’s purse in the car and a marijuana pipe, the report said. She was then arrested on charges of possession of marijuana.

When the woman’s father came to pay her bond later that day, it was discovered that he had a civil warrant for child neglect out of the Oakland County Friend of the Court. The Novi police confirmed the warrant and arrested the man, as well.

Man found asleep at the wheel at intersection, arrested for OWI

A man was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated after he was found asleep at the wheel at an intersection on April 22 at 2:15 a.m., according to a police report.

Novi police received a 911 call about a man asleep on the road, and an officer went and found the car stopped at the traffic light at 10 Mile and Novi roads, the report said. The 29-year-old male driver from Howell had his head slumped forward, but the car was still in drive and his foot was on the brake, the report said.

The officer pounded on the driver's side window for several seconds, yelling for him to wake up, the report said. Another officer arrived and also tried to rouse the driver, but the man was unresponsive, the report said. Eventually, the man looked over at the officer, then closed his eyes and put his head back down, the report said.

One officer then attempted to unlock the car using a lockout tool on the passenger side, when the man looked over at the officer and unlocked the car when officer told him to, the report said. The officer then opened the passenger door and placed the car in park.  

The officer could immediately smell the odor of alcohol coming from car, the report said. The man was the only person in the car, and he appeared disoriented and gave the officer a blank stare, the report said.

The officers then arrested the man for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and helped support him to get into the police car, the report said. The man submitted to a breathalyzer test at the police station and was found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.18, which is over Michigan’s legal limit of 0.08.

The man was also arrested on charges of driving with a suspended license.

If you have questions about this blotter, contact Editor Rebecca Jaskot at rebecca.jaskot@patch.com.