Full Notification

On Friday, November 22, 2013, Fruitport Township Police Department, assisted by the Ludington Police Department, executed a search warrant and arrested two suspects from an incident that took place on June 22, 2013.

In June, a 78-year-old female was shopping at a store inside The Lakes Mall in Fruitport Township. While she was shopping, she had her purse in the top of her shopping cart. After looking at merchandise momentarily, she noticed someone had pushed away her shopping cart. She located the shopping cart a short time later, but her purse had been stolen from the cart.

The purse was later discovered to have been discarded in a restroom inside another store inside the mall. Cash and credit cards had been removed from the purse. It was later discovered that one of the credit cards had been involved in transactions in the Whitehall area.

Investigators obtained surveillance videos related to the incidents, however were unable to identify the suspects until last week. A deputy from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office reviewed the surveillance video images last week and immediately recognized the suspects as a married couple who reside in Ludington.

Following this identification, police obtained arrest warrants and a search warrant for the suspects’ residence in Ludington – located in the 300 block of East Court Street. The search warrant was executed Friday afternoon by Fruitport Township Police Department with the assistance of Ludington Police Department.

The suspects, a 40 year-old-male and a 33-year-old female, from Ludington were taken into custody at the residence. They were lodged at the Muskegon County Jail. Names of the suspects are not being released by police at this time.

Police are working with other area investigators to determine whether these suspects are connected to other crimes in the area.

This arrest comes as a timely reminder. The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and Fruitport Township Police Department would like to offer the following crime prevention / safety tips regarding holiday shopping:

If possible, shop with a friend or family member. There is safety in numbers, and shopping with others can often be a less stressful, more enjoyable experience. Many people make the shopping experience a part of their family tradition for the holidays.

If you are shopping with children, remind them of the importance of staying together and how easy it can be to get lost in the busy holiday shopping crowds. Make a plan in case you get separated. Select a central meeting place, and make sure they know they can ask store employees, security officers, or police officers for help. Cell phone cameras make it easy to take a picture of your child before you leave home. It is sometimes hard to remember exactly what they were wearing when you are trying to describe them to others trying to locate a lost child.

Avoid carrying excessive cash. Consider using a debit or credit card to avoid thefts of large amounts of cash that are irreplaceable. Keep a list of your credit card information – including telephone contact numbers and account numbers – in a safe place at home. If your credit cards are lost or stolen, it is a lot easier to call and cancel them if you have this information readily available. Consider shopping with a single credit card rather than carrying multiple cards – it is easier to cancel one, rather than several, if your wallet or purse is stolen.

Keep purses zipped and close to your body. Never leave a purse unattended in a shopping cart where it is more susceptible to theft. Avoid getting so busy or hurried that you set down your purse, wallet, or shopping bags – they can be easily left behind or stolen while you are inattentive. When unloading items from a shopping cart into your vehicle, consider securing your purse in your vehicle first – then, unload the rest.

Drive cautiously in the parking lots. The parking lots will be busy. Watch for children and people in wheel chairs that may be particularly difficult to see. Be careful when backing out of a parking space – watch for others who may be waiting for your parking space, others who are backing out at the same time, and speeding vehicles driving through parking lot lanes. Avoid driving distractions like cell phone conversations and texting while driving.

Be a mindful pedestrian. Refrain from texting while walking in busy parking lots. Keep children alert to heavy traffic in the parking areas and remind them to watch for cars backing out of parking spaces.

Don’t leave packages visible in the passenger compartment of your vehicle. Secure them in the trunk if possible, or hide them from view. Stop at home to empty your car if it gets too full to conceal items. Put all of your packages in the trunk before departing one parking lot and driving to another. Waiting to do this until your next shopping destination allows others to see packages go into the trunk of your car and you walking away into to the store.

Avoid leaving other personal valuables in plain sight in your vehicle as well – including money (even loose change), credit cards, cell phones, purses, GPS units, etc. Make sure you lock your doors.

If you see any sort of mob behavior beginning to occur, withdraw and leave the area. It’s not worth getting trampled, hurt or even killed just to get a deal on something. With appropriate planning, retailers can help minimize these types of events to make the local “brick and mortar” stores just as safe as shopping online.

If you have a cell phone, make sure it is charged and carry it with you. Report suspicious activity to police by calling 9-1-1. People are sometimes reluctant to call because they don’t know if what they are seeing is really something that is suspicious enough to call the police. If you observe something that makes you feel suspicious, it is worth making the call.

Make an inventory of the gifts you buy and receive – include the brand, model number, and serial number. Having this information available can help police recover the items if they are stolen.

While these steps do not guarantee you will not become a victim of crime, they may reduce your chances of falling prey to a criminal.

We hope you have an enjoyable and SAFE shopping experience. Thank you for supporting local retailers in the Fruitport area.

As a reminder, Fruitport Township Police Department has a donation boxes in the lobby for Toys for Tots and Coats for Kids. If you find a great deal and are in a position to help those who may be less fortunate this year, please consider donating. Donations can be dropped off Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm.