3 more home invasions reported in Ann Arbor as increase in break-ins continues
Ann Arbor police are encouraging residents to secure their homes as a late-summer surge in home invasions continues throughout the city.
Three home invasions reported Tuesday bring to 29 the number of home invasions that have been reported in the 11 days since Sept. 1, according to CrimeMapping.com. That compares to 26 in the 11-day period from Aug. 21-31 and 23 from Aug. 10-20, , CrimeMapping.com statistics show. The city had 59 home invasion reports in all of August and 55 in July.
Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said in each of the home invasions Tuesday, intruders entered through unlocked doors or windows. Those incidents followed a weekend when eight home invasions were reported throughout the city, almost all of which included intruders coming through unsecured entry points.
One of those weekend break-ins resulted in a crime alert being issued by the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety.
When the man saw her, he bolted through the front door, which doesn’t fully close and cannot be secured with a deadbolt. The man made off with a backpack containing a wallet and schoolbooks.
The man is described as black and is 6 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 2 inches tall, thin. He was clean-shaven and was wearing a dark zip-up sweatshirt and dark jeans.
The second incident occurred sometime between 8 p.m. on Monday and 6 p.m. Tuesday at a home in the 800 block of Church Street. Bush said a 20-year-old woman and 20-year-old man, both from Ann Arbor, returned to the home to find a storm window and a main window open.
The woman had left a watch and other jewelry on a shelf in a bedroom and those were the only items reported stolen, Bush said. Police have no information regarding a possible suspect.
The final incident was reported at 10:10 p.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of East Jefferson Street. Bush said a 21-year-old Ann Arbor man was returning to his home when he saw a man standing in the house’s living room.
Originally thinking it was his roommate, the man continued toward the home. However, the intruder then sprinted out of an unlocked back door and the man called police.
The intruder is described as a thin white man, standing about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 135 pounds. He was wearing a blue baseball cap, blue sweatshirt and khaki shorts. Nothing was reported stolen from the home.
Anyone with information on these incidents is encouraged to call the Ann Arbor police anonymous tip line at 734-794-6939 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).
View 300 E Jefferson St in a larger map
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Kristi Charles
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 12:59 p.m.
But my yurt and my neighbor's tee-pee weren't built with security in mind. I guess I'll go mix up a homemade, organic batch of mace from the peppers and corn growing in my garden on my front lawn...
Roaring_Chicken
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 12:39 p.m.
Here's my solution: Post signs around town: HOME INVASION-FREE CITY That's right! What do we do in A2? BAN IT! (Whatever it is.) Then schedule the celebrations. "Mission accomplished! You're doing a heck of a job, John!"
FormerMichRes
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 11:33 a.m.
For the blame the Mayor crowd? Who elected the Mayor ... and who will re-elect him? YOU, Ann Arborites. My observation during recent visits back to Ann Arbor -- the panhandlers and street people have taken over. Walking by Liberty Plaza was a real eye opener. Ya think that has anything to do with the b&e problem in the city? Let's face it folks, you've brought this mess on yourselves... and don't blame it on the police or the students. Ann Arborites are weak on crime ... and criminals know it. Bars on doors and windows, but that's how Detroit began it's long, storied decline.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 11:21 a.m.
"The city had 59 home invasion reports in all of August and 55 in July." That is an average of 57 per month. A similar pace was sustained at the beginning of the year, but I haven't seen the data in between. Annualized, it would work out to 684. "As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 113,394 people, 45,634 households, and 21,704 families residing in the city." At this pace, each of the 45,634 households has a 1.5% chance of having their home invaded per year, a 6% likelihood in four years and a 15% likelihood in 10 years.
julieswhimsies
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 5:36 a.m.
Thank you, posters! I haven't had this many laughs in quite a while!
MIKE
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 4:34 a.m.
I'm waiting for my shift to end. 1/2 an hour to go, then I crack a cold one!
peg dash fab
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 3:38 a.m.
I'm waiting for the electrician, or someone like him.
vivian
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 7:34 p.m.
Hee hee...glad someone else remembers Firesign Theater. Now THEY were funny.
brian
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 3:21 a.m.
Funny, today I was talking with my Comcast dude and we got on the subject of crime. He told me he talked to some Ann Arbor police officers and they told him crime is up because of Ypsi folks. Really, I want to be shown the stats please. I will stay here in Ypsi instead of Ann Arbor.
Tom Todd
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 3:12 a.m.
waiting for the jobs Snyder.
whatsupwithMI
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 2:08 a.m.
**increase in _reporting_ ** of break-ins continues. While I have definite opinions about the blog, the blog is doing a better job of reporting upon facts than the 150-plus folks laid off from the dead-tree version. Sorry the other guys didn't to that, and to the blog, there is definitely room to improve, don't stop.
YpsiLivin
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 1:59 a.m.
Waiting for Godot -
vivian
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 11:58 a.m.
...or Guffman.
whatsupwithMI
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 2:08 a.m.
Seen that play live. Is Godot the city cop, here?
Carole
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 12:09 a.m.
Tell me again, Mr. Mayor -- How safe our town is?
whatsupwithMI
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 2:13 a.m.
Sure, given that 50k population's worth of of crimes is *not counted* in most stats as they happen on U of M property (handled via different, and not reliable, reporting mechanism).
EyeHeartA2
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 12:15 a.m.
The mayor is a clown on a good day. That said, there is crime in every city and you need to look at crime rates, not one article. In this regard, AA actually seems to do OK. Unless you buy into the "they don't record it when you call" theory. Although....it sure SEEMS like a lot has been going on lately. It will be interesting to see how this plays into the 2012 crime rate.
martini man
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 12:02 a.m.
It's all Geroge Bush's and FOX News' fault. Also it's the victim's fault for having anything worth stealing. Peace , Love, Dove, you wacky liberals.
Cathy
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 10:02 a.m.
Wow, Straw Man anyone?
mohomed
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 11:27 p.m.
Perhaps we should have the Government rob us with more taxes to buy these Junkies "free" alcohol and drugs who steal from homes to get alcohol and drugs. Oh, and while we're talking about Chuck Norris I heard one of these thugs tried robbing him and then there were two hits... Chuck Norris hitting the thug and the thug then hitting the service of the sun. The other thugs if caught will have to deal with our criminal justice system, which means 2 years of probation and maybe a little jail time. They will then get a little more jail time when their caught breaking into new homes while on probation of course. This is called the circle of life in our CJ System.
kathryn
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 11:06 p.m.
But seriously, we have to close up our houses all the time? Cannot even have a window open to let in the breeze and cool down the kitchen? That's why I chose to live in Ann Arbor...hoping to find a place where my neighbors wouldn't steal from me. Sad.
julieswhimsies
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 2:42 a.m.
Move to Dexter....right in the village.
LA
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 2:29 p.m.
There are window locks that allow the windows to be opened partway to allow fresh air in, but not large enuff for a person.
AfterDark
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 3:49 a.m.
You can still leave your dwelling wide open if you don't have anything to steal.
smokeblwr
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 1:57 a.m.
These ain't your neighbors....most likely people from OUT OF TOWN!!
lefty48197
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 10:24 p.m.
These punks need to be greeted by the business end of a .357 or a shotgun. Nothing like seeing your life flash before your eyes to put you on the straight and narrow!
smokeblwr
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 1:56 a.m.
Now THAT's what I've been waiting for! U-S-A!
andercar
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 9:29 p.m.
I'm waiting to go to work. I'll lock up, leave my radio and lights on and set my alarm.
Major
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 8:57 p.m.
We need more police, one out front of every home, we don't have them because it's the mayors fault. We all know it's Ypsi people doing this. Therefore, we need to lock all windows and doors, sleep with gun in hand, another leaning against the wall. You could also wait for a friend and move to Ypsi, because in reality, it's Ann Arbor people doing the crime. If all else fails, have Chuck Norris over. Anyone else waiting for something?
HB11
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 8:02 p.m.
I'm waiting for no one because it appears that the usual crowd is here, meaning everyone who begins their comment with "I'm waiting for......"
SMC
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 7:31 p.m.
"Crime rate down! Crime rate down! Crime rate down!" -Mayor McBudgetcut
Bcar
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 7:50 p.m.
Don't forget more art!! ;)
Richard Carter
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 7:26 p.m.
Waiting for the blame-the-Mayor -or-the-past-or-present-Governor or-the-President crowd to appear....
tdw
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 6:55 p.m.
Waiting for the it's Ypsi's fault crowd to appear....
Tru2Blu76
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 6:18 p.m.
What a relief: for about 3 minutes after this article about home break-ins appeared, there was no sign of the "Lets turn our personal agendas into ideological warfare online" Crowd. But they wasted no more than that amount of time before posting their own version of "don't bother with facts, just accept my personal ideological leanings as the final all-purpose solution." Where were you guys? ho-ho! Well, at least AnnArbor dot com mentioned what the police are advising regarding break-in protection. (Notice that not one word about guns was said but some posts are directed at that non-existent-in-this-article advice.) Are you going to make such things as chiding non-present entities & issues (like chiding non-present U.S. presidents for non-existent policies, etc, etc) your new lifestyle? So much for that kind of trollish opinionating. ;-) But of course, even the police advisory came in for some criticism from one ideological faction - That would be the "we ignore advice from any source, no matter how valid, because we know better" faction. Just a point: we talk about the cost (necessity / non-necessity being a side issue) of police protection often enough. Just asking: isn't giving out advice to the public on attainable crime prevention measures A PART OF police protection services? If not, when was that service cancelled?? "Lock it up, don't leave it unattended, be aware and watch out for your neighbors." –– Rich Kinsey. Now let the criticism roll! (Which they will, there being no shortage of opinionated fools hereabout.)
Jack Eaton
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:30 p.m.
This year started out with a surge in the number of home invasions. See this article: http://www.annarbor.com/news/over-80-home-invasions-in-ann-arbor-since-jan-1-police-officials-stress-residents-should-take-extra/ Those early break ins happened all over town and were not concentrated in student areas. Moreover, they involved breaking windows or forcing locks. It would be helpful if these news reports on home invasions had a running total for the year and comparisons to the number of invasions in prior years. Does the City still claim that crime is down?
Tru2Blu76
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 6:30 p.m.
Just FYI: the Michigan State Police stats on property crimes in Ann Arbor say there's been an uptick in such crimes. Statisticians need a longer timeline before they'll talk about trends or permanent changes. No need for the likes of AnnArbor dot com to even bother. (which they generally don't do to begin with) Besides, I hope you've noticed that the public reaction as represented here isn't at all accepting of anything but someone's own personal (situation & ideological based) opinions. Every time anyone suggests individual education and action in response to any crime: there's a "thumbs down" reaction which is unmistakable. What does that tell you about the people making such comments?
Roy Munson
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 6:12 p.m.
That number would be startling. I can tell you that I was one of them, one of MANY. It wasn't an unlocked door or window though, it was smashing in my front door. And I can also tell you they won't get to put me in the A2 crime tally for that again. I moved!
Roy Munson
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:22 p.m.
Time to move.
Macabre Sunset
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:13 p.m.
Waiting for Chuck Norris to appear. He would leave the windows and doors open and would wait on an uncomfortable chair in the kitchen, ready to tear apart his unscheduled visitor with his bare hands and his teeth.
brian
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 3:29 a.m.
Okay, Chuck Norris is out now. Please, Please come up with something different.
Ross
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 9:37 p.m.
I think he would just wait for someone to show up so that he can lecture them about the impending downward spiral into doom if Obama is re-elected.
smokeblwr
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:25 p.m.
I'm still waiting.....I'm hitting F5 every 10 sec....
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:16 p.m.
He is a subset of the: "I wish he'd pick my house cuz I'd teach him a lesson..." crowd that smokeblower is waiting for.
Kpete
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:53 p.m.
You guys go ahead and wait for whatever crowd it is you're waiting for. I will contemplate the people who leave doors and windows unlocked. Just a thought though, whoever shows up, it looks like it will be easy to get in!
A2Ray
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:05 p.m.
@EyeHeart...I did have to wait a while for him to show up!
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:59 p.m.
@A2Ray; Your guy came, anyway.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:51 p.m.
Waiting for the "see Ypsi is better" crowd to appear......
brian
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 3:27 a.m.
Um, we are better.
brian
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 3:25 a.m.
Ypsi is better, let's compare the sexual assualts between Ypsi and Ann Arbor. Bet Ann Arbor's is higher. Oh wait, I can't diss on Ann Arbor. I will be shown as inappropriate.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 7:19 p.m.
More of the "don't pee in my ear and tell me it's raining" crowd.
djacks24
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 7 p.m.
You must be associated with the "we need to build a wall around Ypsi" crowd?
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:22 p.m.
Yep, they are overdue.
A2Ray
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:21 p.m.
You still waiting?
63Townie
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:41 p.m.
Seems the "Back-To-School" five-finger discount season is upon us.
MRunner73
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:39 p.m.
After checking out the Crimemap info, it seems that the vast majority where located close to Central Campus. These are mostly older neighborhoods where entering unsecured parts of the dwelling is easier. It seems this would lend itself to the younger folks at prey or students who live in these areas. Not sure what precautions can be taken to diminish this than what has been presented by AA Police.
BobbyJohn
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 6:28 p.m.
Rental property in A2 is required to have secure locks for windows and doors. It is still upsetting that criminals on the loose are so abundant locally, but try locking up to prevent becoming a victim. Obviously, it is necessary in this underpoliced town.
smokeblwr
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:37 p.m.
Waiting for the "I wish he'd pick my house cuz I'd teach him a lesson..." ITG crowd to appear....
nickcarraweigh
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:34 p.m.
If you put your garbage in attractive packages and leave it on the front porch with a ribbon tied around it, the city could save plenty on sanitation services.
vivian
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 11:54 a.m.
Yes, during the big garbage strike in NYC some years ago, lots of people wrapped their garbage up like packages, put it beside them on the subway and then 'went to sleep.' Much of the time, it worked--when they 'woke up,' the package was gone. Garbage-packages disappeared pretty regularly from stoops for a while, too. Of course, that was before Giuliani...is Ann Arbor in need of a Giuliani-like mayor?
nobody
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:43 p.m.
Make it look like a laptop, or a TV
Hmm
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:29 p.m.
"When the man saw her, he bolted through the front door, which doesn't fully close and cannot be secured with a deadbolt. " How is this not the landlord or property owner's fault? Seems like a clear violation of the lease if you can't even lock your front door. Maybe a lawsuit and a trip to court will force them to stop being lazy and fix the door.
Tex Treeder
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 5:16 p.m.
Ha ha, very good.
a2grateful
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:44 p.m.
". . . cannot be secured with a deadbolt." However, the apartment was secured with a live bolt. . . out the door by the intruder.
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:23 p.m.
Welcome to Hieftje Town.
Matt Damon
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:20 p.m.
July 55 and August 59, is it me or does this seem like a lot?
treetowncartel
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:18 p.m.
I'm just waiting on a friend.....
A2Ray
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 4:10 p.m.
Waiting for the lock your doors and windows crowd to appear . . .
a2grateful
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 3:58 p.m.
Waiting for the we-need-a-gun-in-every-hand crowd to appear. . .
Mike
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 10:08 p.m.
Amen to that............got my gun and bible right here.............
Gargoyle
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 9:25 p.m.
I'm right here. Waiting... Waiting...
Mike
Wed, Sep 12, 2012 : 3:54 p.m.
Waiting for the we need a police officer in every house crowd to appear............