Police Blotter: Man Arrested for Trying to Pass False Check, Two Bikes Stolen

Here's a roundup of recent Birmingham Police reports.

Man arrested for trying to pass counterfeit check

A 34-year-old man from Detroit was arrested Wednesday for attempting to pass a counterfeit check at , police said.

According to the police report, a loss-prevention officer from Kroger saw the man trying to purchase $181.46 worth of food and gift cards with the check. The police report said that because Kroger has recently received several counterfeit checks for the purchase of gift cards, the loss-prevention officer asked the man for his ID.

The man said his ID was in his car and went outside to retrieve it, the police report said. Meanwhile, the loss-prevention officer called the police and followed the man to his car, the report said. When police arrived, the man told officers that he didn’t try to pass the check and that he didn’t have any identification with him, but he gave a name and address in Toledo, OH, according to the police report.

Upon checking with the credit union from which the check was issued, police learned that the account number and routing number were fake, as was the name on the check, the police report said. The man was taken into custody on a charge of for uttering and publishing; upon fingerprinting, officers learned that he lived in Detroit and had a different name from the one he gave officers. According to police reports, the man has several warrants out of area police departments for various crimes. The man is being held until his arraignment.

Bikes go missing from parking garage, home

Two bicycles were stolen Monday and Tuesday, each valued around $300. According to police reports, the first theft occurred in the between 6-7 p.m. Monday. The bike’s owner said he had two bikes strapped to the rear of his vehicle, which was parked in the garage. When he returned, the straps had been cut, one bicycle was laying on the ground while the other was gone, the report said.

The other bike was taken between 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday on the 1100 block of Shipman Boulevard. According to police report, two bikes were parked in front of a man's home. Around 7 p.m., the man noticed one of them was missing. Police have no leads in either case.

If you have any tips, contact the at 248-530-1889. For questions about this blotter, email Laura.Houser@patch.com.