Oxford resident Patricia Osborn was arraigned on charges of breaking and entering on July 11.
Osborn, 46, is charged with stealing from an E. Jackson Street home with the knowledge the homeowner was absent.
In the afternoon of June 24, the Lake Orion Police Department’s Ordinance Officer Tim Reetz contacted officer Todd Stanfield to notify him of a suspicious circumstance. Osborn had just exited the E. Jackson residence in question. Reetz was advised to detain her.
When Stanfield made contact with Osborn, she was pushing a shopping cart full of items valuing over $15,000. Questioning her about the items, she said the items belonged to her, and she was taking them around the corner for a garage sale.
Reportedly, Osborn proceeded approach a nearby home and seek entry. She asked the homeowner to tell the nearby officers she owned the items in the cart, to which the homeowner replied, ‘yes.?
The officers saw the homeowner wanted to tell them more, and decided to come back at a later time.
Searching the bags in the cart, the officers noticed an address attached to one of the parcels. They asked Osborn if she had been at the E. Jackson Street home that day, to which she replied, ‘no.?
Further questioning led one officer back to the residence in question, where he found the front door forced open, with a hammer and screwdriver lying at the threshold.
The apartment was a mess, with boxes and clothes strewn all over the place as if someone was looking through them, including a shoe box for shoes that were seen in the cart earlier.
Returning to Osborn, Stanfield asked her several times if she had been in the apartment, but received a negative answer every time. After questioning Osborn about the items, informing her pictures were being sent to the homeowner for identification, and again receiving exonerating stories every time, Osborn wrote a statement.
An interview with the earlier homeowner revealed many of the items in the cart were not given to her as previously said.
LOPD Chief Jerry Narsh noted this particular case as a good example of why having community police is a valuable resource.
‘I’m very pleased with the police work in this case, and I think it’s shows why we’re here,? said Narsh. ‘Our officers know these people, and they know what to look for to see if anything is going wrong.?
Osborn’s case will go to trial on Thursday at the 52-3 District Court.