Man Caught Shoplifting Women's Underwear at Costco; Equipment Stolen From Oakland Hills

Bloomfield Township

Man 'embarrased' to pay for panties

A Waterford man faces shoplifting charges for trying to steal women's underwear from Costco, according to Bloomfield Township Police Department reports.

Peter Duenas, 58, allegedly was seen by store security hiding a pack of women's underwear amid other items he paid for, and trying to leave the store shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 15, reports said. Costco security confronted him outside the store and detained Duenas until officers arrived. He was charged with one count of misdemeanor retail fraud and has a hearing date pending in 48th District Court.

Police said Duenas told arresting officers that he took the underwear for his wife and was simply too embarrassed to pay for them.

Larceny at Oakland Hills Country Club

Employees at the Oakland Hills Country Club discovered six new weed whippers were missing from a maintenance shed on the property last week, police reports said. The grounds maintenance employees said they found the tools missing from an unlocked shed at about 11:45 a.m. on Jan. 17.

Investigators believe the crime sometime between 11:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. that morning, but no suspect information was available. The items were valued at about $1,300 combined.

Officers also took a larceny from a van report nearby later that day that could be related. The victim told police several items used for construction projects were taken from his work van sometime between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in the 3600 block of W. Maple Road. Police said the timeframe and location leads investigators to believe the same perpetrator could be responsible. Report said forensic evidence taken from the scene will be analyzed to identify a suspect.

Lead in catalytic converter thefts

Investigators with the Bloomfield Township police announced they are following a lead in a recent catalytic converter theft. The owner of a vehicle parked in the 1700 block of Pontiac Drive said he noticed the catalytic converter was missing when he returned t about 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 15, reports said. After reviewing security video footage, detectives determined occupants of a dark-colored SUV that was parked next to the victim were responsible.

Authorities would not release further description of the suspect or the vehicle, but said they will continue to review the footage to identify the perpetrators.

Since spring, the department received nearly a dozen similar thefts. No suspect information was available in those incidents, according to reports.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents listed here should call the department at 248-433-7752.

Bloomfield Hills

Officials with the Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety said officers investigated a larceny report from a local office building that turned out to be a misunderstanding.

Police responded to the 38000 block of Woodward Ave. for a report of someone driving a 'Mr. Mat' truck that took two floor runners on Jan. 18, reports said. Officers investigated the situation as a theft, but later learned from the building manager that they switched vendors, and the mats taken belonged to the previous company.

For questions about this blotter, email Art.Aisner@Patch.com.