Crime & Safety

(UPDATED) Sheriff: Man Arrested in Restaurant Case Linked to Break-ins in Hartland, Across the State

The following arrest information was supplied by the Livingston County Sheriff's Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

Police say the arrest of a Westland man Thursday in Traverse City not only solves but a series of similar crimes locally and at least two other places in Michigan.

The 41 year old — who is in jail in Grand Traverse County — is expected to be transported Saturday to Livingston County and charged with breaking and entering, said Livingston County Sheriff Undersheriff Mike Murphy. An original plan for Friday had to be changed.

The man is accused of using a pry bar to open the the rear door of the at about 4 a.m. Aug. 23 and stealing an undisclosed amount of money. An arraignment is expected sometime over the Labor Day holiday weekend, Murphy said.

Find out what's happening in Hartlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte said police cracked the case by collecting pictures from video surveillance to identify the man by his tattoo on his right bicep that has barbed wire, a rose and a woman.

A subsequent investigation showed the 41-year-old, who has lived in Oceola Township near Clyde and Argentine roads, is a suspect in similar crimes in Westland and Iosco County, Bezotte said.

Find out what's happening in Hartlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There's a total of 15 to 18 cases in all, and at least six others in Hartland that began in the fall 2010, he said. Bezotte said the man's movements from different locations helped him to elude capture, adding he may have had help so the investigation remains ongoing.

"We believe he is the same guy," Bezotte said. "This is how he makes his money going around and breaking into commercial businesses."

Police in Grand Traverse and Oakland counties now also believe the suspect could be responsible for similar crimes in their jurisdictions, Bezotte said.

The suspect, whose name is being withheld pending arraignment, also has a criminal record of similar offenses, Bezotte said. He is currently on parole for breaking in 2006 and entering and has past convictions for breaking and entering, armed robbery and assault with intent to rob while armed from 1996, according to state Department of Corrections records.

Police are now putting together cases for charges on the other cases, Bezotte said. The break-ins are felonies, he said, and the man could face 10- to 15-year prison terms for each.

Bezotte said a key moment in the investigate was when Detective Don Welch collected video surveillance from the Red Olive case and compared it with tapes from other area businesses. When he checked in Hartland, he discovered a man whom police believe is the suspect before the break-in, he said.

Credit card information from a purchase at the service station led police to Westland and law enforcement there knew the man's identity and suspected him in similar commercial break-ins, Bezotte said.

"It's just a fabulous job," he said. "Detective Welch connected the dots for everyone and now they will be able to close some cases."

The spree of overnight break-ins in the fall along Hartland's commericial district began Oct. 31 and included Red Olive, , , , and .

A $1,000 reward was offered, video images were released to the media (those are the ones with this story) and police spoke with business owners about ways to beef up their security.

Hartland Township Supervisor Bill Fountain congratulated the sheriff's department and said the arrest is good news, although with the poor economy he added businesses will still have to look out for each other.

"We're just going to have to keep our eyes open and watch out," said Fountain, who also serves on the board of the and is the operating partner of the golf course.

Editor's note: This story was updated Friday to reflect that police moved the date of transporting the suspect from Grand Traverse County to Livingston County from Friday to Saturday.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.