Car crashes and thefts in Scio Township

The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is seeing some trends in Scio Township, especially with accidents and thefts.

In his monthly report to the Scio Township Board on Aug. 24, WCSO Lt. Al Hunt highlighted a few things from the local law enforcement reports, including that the number of traffic stops are back up to pre-pandemic levels.

One area that has the WCSO's attention is the intersection of Jackson and Zeeb, which Hunt said has the highest rate of accidents anywhere in the county.

He said "month to month that intersection is challenging for us."

The intersection sees all types of crashes, but Hunt said they are mostly non-injury ones.

He said what plays a bit into these numbers is the intersection’s design, including having the nearby off and on ramps for the freeway, and the amount of traffic going through it on a daily basis.

One thing they are doing is directing more enforcement to that area.

Another report highlight is some of the crimes the police are seeing during the night shift. Hunt said larcenies from businesses, including vehicle break-ins and also thefts from auto dealerships, is another trend they’ve seen.

He said they’ve seen auto thefts with a focus on high-end, high-horse power vehicles, especially Dodge vehicles. He said the Dodge dealership in Scio lost three vehicles in one night this summer.

In looking at who is behind these, Hunt said there are some organized groups that come out of different areas, including from Detroit, and target areas all over southeastern Michigan. Noting some of their tactics, he said these crime groups will do things like scan the police radios to monitor where the police are and they will also use the weather. He said they have had instances of wheel thefts from high-end vehicles during heavy rain falls.

Some of the thefts have been recovered in Detroit, according to Hunt, including a work trailer full of tools that had been stolen from a spot in Scio and later found without the tools.

Hunt said there might not be a lot of these thefts, but there is a noticeable crime trend in the township.

Here are some other highlights from his report:

On June 2nd, Deputies responded to the 400 block of Blossom Dr for a Vehicle Theft. The victim reported that his vehicle had been stolen while parked at a construction site. The vehicle was left unlocked with the keys on the driver’s seat. Deputies checked residences nearby with video surveillance, however, were unable to identify a suspect. At this time, the vehicle has not been recovered.

On June 3rd, Deputies responded to the 6900 block of Jackson Rd for a Larceny from Auto. The complainant reported that two (2) work trucks had been broken into overnight and that multiple tools had been stolen. The vehicles had been left unlocked overnight. The complainant estimated the total loss to be around $1,000. No suspect information has been developed.

On June 7th, Deputies were dispatched to the area of Jackson Ave & Maple Rd to attempt to locate a stolen vehicle out of the City of Ann Arbor. OnStar was tracking the vehicle as it traveled west on Jackson Rd into Scio Township. Deputies located the vehicle after it turned north on Baker Rd from Jackson Rd. OnStar was able to disable the vehicle and Deputies contacted the lone occupant. The driver was taken into custody and admitted to stealing the vehicle. The suspect was turned over to Ann Arbor Police for processing.