Police Blotter: Another Mailbox Damaged, Copper Pipes Taken, GPS Unit Stolen

“The flowers bloom, the grass turns green, and the mailboxes get knocked down," said Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy David Zanichelli. "It’s a rite of spring.”

Indeed, adding to the that were damaged less than two weeks ago is a resident of West Predmore Road, whose mailbox was damaged on April 5 according to Oakland County Sheriff's Office reports. Someone had broken the wooden post of the mailbox during the night, knocking it to the ground.

“It’s mailbox season," said Zanichelli. "Don’t question it – it just is.”

Change stolen from unlocked vehicles

Thieves used the garage door opener from an unlocked vehicle parked in the driveway of a Crestone Way to gain access to two more unlocked vehicles inside the home's garage late Saturday night or Sunday morning, according to Oakland County Sheriff's Office reports. The owner of the vehicles reported only change missing from the vehicles. There is no evidence and no leads.

GPS unit stolen from car parked in garage

A Magellan GPS unit was stolen from a vehicle parked in the attached garage of a home on Goodison Place Drive Saturday evening or Sunday morning. The homeowner accidentally left the side door to the garage unlocked, according to Oakland County Sheriff's Office reports. There are no suspects, witnesses or leads.

Copper pipes removed from unoccupied home

Someone broke into a home for sale on Rochester Road between March 27 and April 1, taking an estimated $1,000 worth of copper pipes from the basement of the home, , according to Oakland County Sheriff's Office reports. There were no signs of forced entry. Someone had torn down part of the ceiling in the basement to expose the pipes, then cut them with what appeared to be bolt cutters, according to the report. There were no latent prints.

K-9 Unit helps clear home with possible intruder

A resident of Piney Hill Road called police the afternoon of April 5 after he discovered someone had broken in to his home, according to Oakland County Sheriff's Office reports. The door frame had been smashed, and the resident was unsure if anyone else was still in his home. A K-9 unit searched the home and found no one inside.

A basketball-sized rock was laying by the broken door frame, and someone had ransacked the bedroom. A large jewelry box was emptied, and a glass vase full of $150 in change was stolen, the report  said.

Identity theft victim receives fraudulent $531 cell phone bill

On April 2, a resident of Goodison Place Drive received a bill from AT&T for $531.34. According to Oakland County Sheriff's Office reports, someone had used the resident's name, date of birth, social security number and address to open up the account at a Best Buy. Someone had also tried to open a T-Mobile account using the resident's information, but it was denied.