DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A suspect has finally been arraigned for the string of burglaries that have occurred in both the West Dearborn and Dearborn Heights areas over the last four months, after Dearborn Heights Police caught the intruder in action when they received a tip from a local neighbor.

Marcel Terry

22 year old Marcel Terry had invaded a home near the Beech Daily and Wilson area in Dearborn Heights last Thursday around 7 pm, after breaking a back window of the house while the residents were away. Unbeknownst to him, Dearborn Heights Police had already been watching him for a few minutes after receiving a tip from a neighbor.

After Terry had left the house, police were finally able to chase after him. He eventually ended up cornered in another neighbor’s backyard before finally getting captured.

“We already changed the locks on our doors,” says the resident whose home was broken into. The family had been shaken up when they returned home to find authorities surrounding their property. “My mom was having a heart attack.” 

The intruder did not have any known vehicles at the time and had only been able to obtain values such as small expensive jewelry, which he was able to put away in his jacket and pockets. 

This news comes as a relief to many residents in the area, who have been on edge since the string of break-ins had begun around October. According to some reports, as much as 60 home invasions had occurred during this time period in the areas of Outer drive, Ford Rd, Telegraph, Cherry Hill and Beech Daily on the borders of the Dearborn-Dearborn Heights areas. 

While it’s not clear yet if the suspect was responsible for all the robberies, Dearborn Heights and Dearborn Police have been working together on the investigation, which is still in preliminary stages. These robberies might include homes which were broken into on Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday, when many residents were away from their homes.

During Thanksgiving, the intruder or intruders were able to break into five homes that were on the street or around the block from Kingsbury in West Dearborn, just two blocks south of Ford Rd. What all the invasions had in common was that a back window was broken into, in a similar vein to Terry’s last break in. 

Dearborn Police say that neighbors and residents had been helping them with tips, despite some speculation that some residents had decided not to call the police out of fear.

“I think neighbors are very responsible,” stated Thomas Teefey, Dearborn Police Commander. “The majority of cases solved have always been from tips made by residents. This gentleman in particular might have just been better at his craft.”

Teefey notes that the burglar or burglars had continued to get away with the crimes because of the specific instances when neighbors had been occupied with the holidays. Teefey was not able to provide any further information, as the case is being spearheaded by the Dearborn Heights Police, despite most of the burglaries occurring in the Dearborn borders. 

It might have been the Dearborn Heights Police Department’s recent actions that led to the capture of the suspect. The city’s newly formed Directed Patrol Unit had set up surveillance around the Ford Rd and Beech Daily area and set out alerts to residents asking them to report any suspicious activity that included someone knocking on doors and asking for people who didn’t live there. 

It was that exact scenario that led to the capture of Terry, who had knocked on a local resident’s home but had gotten an answer at the door. The resident immediately contacted the police and gave them a description of Terry, who had proceeded to go to another neighbor’s house before he got captured. 

The police departments advise residents to continue locking all windows around their homes and to leave valuables out of sight and stored in a hidden area of the house. Residents who also have new electronics such as computers or televisions are advised to immediately despose of the packages in dumpsters, rather than put them out in front of their homes, which could alert burglars scoping out an area. 

If residents see any further activity they are advised to call the police immediately. If anyone wants to give further tips, you can call the Dearborn Police Tip Line at 313-943-3012 or the Dearborn Heights Detective Bureau at 313-277-7709.