Police say security video provided leads on wallet theft investigation in Grand Blanc Township
A man has been arrested in the thefts of wallets and bank cards from unlocked vehicles at parks in Genesee County, Michigan.
Lester Muex, 48, of Detroit, was arrested after security video at one of the retailers was used to help identify him using a victim's bank card, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said in a video report. Meux was lodged in the Genesee County jail on six counts of unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, the chief said.
The first incident under investigation happened June 1 at Creasey Bicentennial Park on East Grand Blanc Road. The victim was watching a softball game when a man grabbed a wallet out of his unlocked vehicle. The bank cards were immediately used at a local retail store and gas station.
Renye said police attempted to access security video from both the store and the gas station, but ran into "roadblocks" and delays in getting permission for review of the footage.
"We frequently hear from the public that we're not doing anything with cases ... when in fact we are," he said about the time involved with accessing security images from businesses. "These things take time."
While officers were still working on that investigation, a second incident with similar circumstances was reported.
The second incident happened June 3 at the Henry Ford Genesys Trails in Grand Blanc Township. The victim had left her car doors unlocked, and her wallet was stolen. The suspect used her credit cards at a different retail store.
On this occasion, police were able to get quick access to the business's exterior video, which showed the suspect driving a black, older model pickup truck. Additional security video inside a store gave a view of the potential suspect that police reviewed for leads with facial recognition technology.
"That's where our investigation really took off," the chief said.
Once they had a possible name, they could start looking into which vehicle he might have been driving
The suspect was taken into custody Wednesday without incident after he left a hotel in Chesterfield Township.
