Crime & Safety

Trio of Women Believed to be Behind Credit Card Theft at J. McLaughlin

The following information was supplied by the Birmingham Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Check out the latest reports from the Birmingham Police Department:

J. McLaughlin employee says group of women responsible for Sunday's credit card theft

A trio of women are believed to be behind a credit card theft at J. McLaughlin Sunday afternoon, and according to Birmingham police, they may be responsible for several similar thefts throughout downtown.

According to police reports, the incident occurred at 3 p.m. Sunday when there was only one employee working in the store. The store employee told police that upon entering the shop, one of the women began asking her about merchandise. However, the employee said she saw one of the other women try to enter the back of the store and stopped her.

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After checking on some other merchandise for the women, the trio left and drove off in an unknown vehicle, reports state. A short time later, the employee said she was contacted by her credit card company; several purchases had been made with her card at Home Depot and several gas stations, reports state. The employee then discovered her wallet missing from the back of the store.

According to police, two of the women are in their early- to mid-40's while the third is in her early 20's. The women in her 40's are both described as weighing around 200 pounds; one has curly hair while the other had her hair in a ponytail, reports state. The younger women was described as "very thin," around 5-foot-three and wearing a brown bomber jacket.

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Jewelry taken during home invasion on East 14 Mile

Birmingham police are investigating a home invasion on East 14 Mile Road that occurred sometime on Thursday, Oct. 11. According to police reports, the home on the 900 block of East 14 Mile was entered via a side door sometime between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Several pieces of jewelry were taken from a bedroom. There were no signs of forced entry and police aren't yet sure how the suspect opened the locked door.

Car stolen from Maryland Friday night

Police are on the lookout for a white, 1999 Toyota Corolla stolen from the 1600 block of Maryland last Friday night. The car was parked in the street and went missing sometime between 10 p.m. Friday and 7:45 a.m. Saturday.

Lawnmower, leaf blower and golf clubs reported stolen

Several items were reported stolen throughout Birmingham during the past week:

  • A set of golf clubs were taken from a detached garage on the 2300 block of Manchester sometime between 5:35 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 p.m. Sunday. There was no sign of forced entry and all doors were closed and believed locked.
  • A lawnmower was taken from a front yard on the 300 block of Larchlea around 2:20 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11. The homeowner told police he was using the lawnmower and left in the yard alone for 10 minutes. When he returned, it was gone. 
  • A leaf blower was stolen from an unlocked garage on the 2100 block of Buckingham sometime between Oct. 9 and Sunday.
  • Several miscellaneous items were taken from a vehicle parked on the 1600 block of Graefield between 6 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The owner told police he thought the car was locked though there were no signs of forced entry.

Anyone with information about any of these incidents can call the Birmingham Police Department at 248-530-1889. If you have any questions about this report, email Laura.Houser@Patch.com.


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