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Arrests Bring Police Award

Arrests Bring Police Award image
Parent Issue
Day
27
Month
February
Year
1993
Copyright
Copyright Protected
Rights Held By
Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

Arrests bring police award

Apprehension of the “Barber Shop Bandits,” named for their penchant for looting Ann Arbor barbershops and beauty salons, has won City Patrol Officers Steven Johnson and Dawn King “Officer of the Month” citations.

Ann Arbor Police Chief Douglas Smith said Johnson and King provided key data which eventually lead to the arrest in January of she suspects linked to a total of 65 burglaries in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area, many of them at barber and beauty shops.

The chief said the officers, while on routine night patrol In mid-January, spotted a car in a parking lot of a barbershop at West Liberty Street and South Maple Road.

Two teenagers in the vehicle were questioned and released but their names and a description of their vehicle was passed on by Johnson and King to the Police Department’s undercover surveillance team.

Acting on that information and a tip, on Jan. 24 the team with sheriffs deputies set up. a stakeout near Wong’s Oriental Food and Gifts Shop. 2888 Washtenaw Ave. in Ypsilanti Township.

When three teenagers broke into the business place they were immediately arrested. Two of the suspects were the youths Johnson and King had stopped earlier.

At the same time the arrests were being made, other Ann Arbor officers with Ypsilanti police were executing a search warrant in an Ypsilanti residence where a large amount of stolen property was recovered and three more suspects were arrested. Chief Smith said they were part of the “Barber Shop" group.

Other Ann Arbor officers nominated for Officer of the Month citations included:

Patrolman Mark Brayton and Detective Tony Williams for their investigation of a series of break-ins in the Williamsburg Road area off Platt Road.

Staff Sgt. James Stephenson and Patrol Officers Eddy Stuck, Sally Berghauser, John Seto, and Mitchell Rickey for the arrest of a burglar moments after he looted a house.

Patrol Officers David Strauss and Kristian Leyrer for their work in establishing a Community Policing office in a public housing area.

Patrolmen Andrew Zazula and Christopher Wooley for their quick and successful investigation of the embezzlement of $4,360 from the Max & Erma’s Restaurant on Eisenhower Parkway.