Full Notification

Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office
Jerry L. Clayton, Sheriff
Dexter Sub-Station News Release

For additional information regarding this release please contact Sergeant Beth Gieske at (734) 426-0228 or [email protected]

“Create Public Safety, Provide Quality Service, Build Strong and Sustainable Communities”.

2010 was a very active year for the Sheriff Office Staff assigned to the Dexter Sub-Station. The Dexter-Substation provides law enforcement coverage 24 hours a day 365 days a year for: Dexter Township, Webster Township and Dexter Village. The spring and summer months, in particular, were hit hard with property crimes. We would like this opportunity to thank the citizens for their active participation in watching out for themselves, others and the community. The Sheriff’s Office is focused on strategies that address root cause problems and targets long term solutions.

Through this relationship with the citizens, the collaboration among agencies and the intensive investigations we were able to solve many of the property crimes. Again we would like to thank the community for their involvement and share some of those successes. We look forward to being a partner with you in 2011. This reflects the Sheriff’s Office Core Strategies of:
• Community Leadership-encourages input from an engaged community.
• Partnerships and Collaborations-partner with the community to improve the quality of life.
• Service Excellence-focusing on effective outcomes.

Some of the outstanding criminal cases completed by the Dexter Sub-Station deputies are listed below:

• Jan 13th while investigating a Juvenile Runaway Complaint in Dexter Township a Deputy recovered an I-Pod on the individual. Through the investigation it was determined that this I-Pod had been stolen from a victim in Chelsea. A wallet belonging to another individual was also located. It was determined that this item was stolen from a victim in Ann Arbor. Both items were returned to their rightful owners. The case(s) have been turned over to the court system and the appropriate jurisdiction.

• On March 24th a deputy was sent to a residence in Dexter Township where the caller had been the victim of a Larceny from Automobile. The stolen items had been left in an unlocked vehicle overnight, while parked in a driveway. Taken was a substantial amount of checks and cash. The Metro Dispatcher working recalled taking information during the prior shift about a suspicious situation. There had been a report of 3 individuals burning items along a roadway in Lima Township. The dispatcher informed the deputy of this information. The investigation led to 3 suspects being positively identified. The case was forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for review. The result is that all 3 individuals are in various stages of the court process.

While on routine patrol an alert deputy recalled previous information describing a suspect vehicle from an earlier burglary. He was able to stop the vehicle and identify one of the suspects through that contact. The investigation continued and it was determined that this individual and one other individual were suspects in several Home Invasions. This pair was linked to 14 Home Invasions within Washtenaw County. Not all of these Home Invasions fell within our jurisdiction. These individuals were identified and later charged with 5 different Felony Warrants each. The male is currently serving time in Prison resulting from a Burglary charge out of Oakland County.

o There was an extensive amount of property recovered as a result of this investigation. We may never know just how many Home Invasions these two were responsible for and we have still not identified all of the owners for the property that was recovered.

• On May 12, 2010 a deputy investigated a reported Malicious Destruction of Property and an attempt Home Invasion in Dexter Village. During the course of the investigation the deputy developed latent fingerprints from the scene. The latent prints lead to the suspect being positively identified for this crime. At the preliminary exam the suspect, a 27 year old female, plead guilty to the charges.

• On May 20th deputies investigated a Home Invasion in Dexter Township. During the day unknown subject(s) entered the residence and took $37,000. worth of property. Due to the hard work of the Deputy and support from the community a large quantity of property, approximately $33,600, was recovered in Detroit by our Detective Bureau. This investigation continues with the hopes that additional suspects may be identified and charges brought against them. The amount stolen in the 6 Home Invasions that the Dexter Station linked this property to was over $77,000. Additional suspects have been identified, through a painstaking follow-up investigation, and charges are being requested through the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office.

• On May 28th our Agency assisted in checking the area for a suspect vehicle and suspects in a Home Invasion that had just occurred in Lyndon Township. Sheriff Deputies located the vehicle traveling South on Mast Road and attempted to stop the vehicle. One of the suspects exited the vehicle along Huron River Drive and fled the area. The vehicle was eventually stopped on Jackson Avenue near Wagner Rd. At which time the driver was taken into custody on Jackson Avenue near Wagner for Fleeing and Eluding. The suspect has since pleaded guilty to Fleeing and Eluding Fourth Degree.

• On June 17th Deputies responded to a Felonious Assault near Central and Second Street, in Dexter Village. The suspect had pointed a pistol at two subjects and threatened them. The suspect was only known by first name and had he fled the scene prior to our arrival. The suspect was later identified and charged with Felonious Assault. He has since pled to two counts of Assault and Battery.

• July 10th and 11th Deputies investigated 3 reports relating to either a Larceny from an automobile or a Home Invasions where subjects took items from unlocked automobiles in the Carriage Hills Subdivision of Dexter Township. With the active involvement and information sharing from the community Deputies were able to identify a suspect. A large amount of suspected stolen property was recovered. The case was forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for review. A 5 count felony warrant was authorized against the 19 year old male suspect.

• On July 25th, an alert citizen called to report that two juveniles had entered an unlocked vehicle and rummaged through it, in Webster Township. The witness made contact with the responding deputies and advised where the suspects were last seen. The investigation resulted in two suspects being identified and approximately $6000.00 worth of stolen items being recovered. Throughout the following day(s) and weeks Deputies continued this investigation and identified over a dozen individuals who had been victims of either a Larceny from Automobile(s) or Home Invasions that had been committed by these suspects. In many of these cases the victim(s) were not aware of the thefts prior to the Deputies contact with them regarding the recovered property. The cases were sent to the prosecutor’s office. The suspects were charged with 10 Larceny from Automobile Charges and the cases have been adjudicated.

• On August 2nd, 2010 a Dexter Area Deputy assisted the Scio Township Deputy on a burglary investigation. A homeowner returned home to find their residence broken into on Sedgewood Drive. A K-9 Unit assisted with a track to try and locate the suspects. The track ended in a neighboring community. Because of the community contacts that had been previously developed Deputies received information about a potential suspect(s). The Deputies investigation resulted in 2 juvenile suspects being positively identified. The stolen property was recovered and returned to the rightful owner. These juveniles were responsible for 4 Home Invasions on that date. The cases were turned over to the Washtenaw County Prosecutors Office. The weapons that were stolen were recovered and returned to the owner.

• On August 18th Deputies investigated a Home Invasion on Joy Road. The ensuing investigation between Northfield Police Department, DEA and our agency lead to one suspect being charged in the federal system, due to the theft of firearms. Two other suspects had their probation violated; one was sent to state prison. The weapons that were stolen in the home invasion were recovered and returned to the owner.

• During several months last year Dexter Village, Scio Township, Webster Township and other surrounding jurisdictions have received reports of on an individual exposing himself to children and women. On August 17th the Deputy working midnights in the Dexter became aware of an Indecent Exposure call for holding in Lima Township. This call was similar in nature to these previous reports of Indecent Exposure Cases in the community. The Deputy responded to an area, in Dexter Village, where the Indecent Exposures had previously been reported. After a short period of time the Deputy observed a vehicle which matched the description of past incidents. The vehicle and driver were stopped and the suspect was detained and later arrested. This collaborative investigation between the Michigan State Police, Ann Arbor Police Department, Chelsea Police Department and our Agency resulted with connecting this suspect to 9 different Indecent Exposure cases within Washtenaw County.

Property crimes are very labor intensive to fully investigate. Involvement from the community is extremely important to our organization. It is through your community involvement, monitoring and reporting of suspicious activities where you live, work, and play that helps our agency keep the community safe. It is through this relationship, information sharing, and communication that contributed to our successes for 2010. We look forward to partnering with you in 2011.

Some helpful information regarding burglaries and identity theft are listed below. Just click on the link.

http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/sheriff/community/neighborhood-watch-1/nhw-documents/responses-to-burglaries/at_download/file

http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/sheriff/community/neighborhood-watch-1/nhw-documents/factors-contributing-to-burglaries/view

http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/sheriff/community/neighborhood-watch-1/nhw-documents/factors-contributing-to-id-theft/view

http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/sheriff/community/neighborhood-watch-1/nhw-documents/responses-to-id-theft/at_download/file