Utica PD: Men Steal Purses, Attempted to Steal Vehicles

Three Detroit residents accused of stealing at least three purses from Utica store employees and attempting to steal a vehicle face several charges.

Vernell Adams, 18, Dawayne Davis, 18, and a 16-year-old, whose name will not be released because he has been charged as a juvenile, were arraigned in 41-A District Court on three counts of larceny from a building and unlawful driving away a motor vehicle.

A judge set a $5,000 cash surety bond for Davis and a $10,000 cash surety bond for Adams.  A $1,000 cash surety bond was set for the juvenile.

Davis and Adams will return to court on June 21 for a preliminary examination.

The three suspects were arrested on June 9. Utica police said they arrested the 16-year-old suspect as he attempted to steal a vehicle in the Value City parking lot.

Utica police officer Greg Morabito said in a report that after hearing about a theft from JoAnn Fabrics in Shelby Township earlier in the day, he saw a man matching a similar description, in the parking lot with a key fob in his hand, trying to unlock a vehicle.

Morabito detained the suspect, later identified as the juvenile. A Value City employee who reported her purse had been stolen told police she recognized the juvenile as one of three men who were in the store earlier in the day.

Moments later, Davis and Adams were arrested on Hall Road, near Mattress Warehouse.

Value City surveillance video captured the three suspects entering the employee break room and opening a locker with a bolt cutter.  Davis and Adams then took a purse to the men’s bathroom and removed the cash and keys from the purse, police said. The men were seen on camera handing the keys to the juvenile.

Police said the men admitted to stealing the cash and keys and attempting to steal the employee's blue Ford Focus from the parking lot.

The suspects told police they had planned on driving the vehicle back to Detroit.

After the men had been arrested, two employees from the Christmas Tree Shop told police their purses had been stolen. The purses were found in the men’s bathroom trash.  The keys to one of the employee’s vehicle were missing from the purses.

Police said the suspects admitted to stealing the two purses at the Christmas Tree Shop too.