Ann Arbor man charged with 8 felonies in vehicle break-ins

By Kyle Feldscher Crime and courts reporter

Posted on Thu, Mar 21, 2013 : 12:35 p.m.

A 25-year-old Ann Arbor man faces eight charges of breaking into vehicles after he was arrested Monday on the city’s west side, court records show.

Charles Dutton

Courtesy of WCSO

Charles Dutton was arraigned Wednesday on seven charges of breaking and entering a vehicle with damage done to the vehicle and one charge of breaking and entering a vehicle with intent to commit a crime, records show. Dutton was one of two people arrested Monday by Ann Arbor police for vehicle break-ins.

Dutton was arrested by uniformed officers on patrol about 10 p.m. Monday after they spotted a white conversion van believed to have been used in larcenies the previous night. Police said stolen property was recovered from the van and a home on Ann Arbor’s west side.

To this point, he’s the only person facing criminal charges stemming from Monday’s arrests.

Police released a warning to residents last week about an increase in the number of vehicle break-ins throughout the city and then reported 12 more incidents occurring on Sunday and Monday. Thieves would go through parking lots and spot a vehicle with valuable items in plain sight before entering through an unlocked door or smashing a window to get inside.

Dutton is free on bond after posting 10 percent of $25,000, according to jail records. He returns to court for a preliminary examination at 8:30 a.m. March 28.