Waterford Man Scheduled for Preliminary Exam in Bloomfield Larceny Case

A man suspected of stealing jewelry from an office building in Bloomfield Township last month is expected in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing, records show.

Kenneth Russell Karst, 54, faces one count of larceny from a building during this initial hearing in 48th District Court.

Officers responded to the office in the 1700 block of Telegraph Road at about 3 p.m. June 27 and obtained a license plate number of the the suspect’s vehicle. Authorities found the Karst and his vehicle in Pontiac that day and arrested him without incident. They also found the stolen property, reports said.

Authorities would not release further details prior to Tuesday's exam.

Emily Long, Karst's attorney, also declined to discuss details of the case but indicated that the defense will contest the charges in court.

"Mr. Karst is looking forward to hearing the strength of the prosecution's case test at the preliminary hearing," she said without elaborating.

Long also represents Karst in another criminal matter pending in District Court, records show.

He remains in custody at the Oakland County Jail on $200,000, jail records show.

He was arrested April 1 by Pontiac Police officers and was charged with malicious destruction of property between $1,000 and $20,000 in connection with an incident Jan. 27, court records show. Further details were not immediately available.

Long said that case was in the preliminary exam conference phase with prosecutors after a Circuit Court judge had ordered the case back to District Court for further testimony. Until his June arrest, Karst had been free on bond while contesting charges in the earlier case.

Prosecutors indicated they will seek a sentence enhancement upon conviction in that case because it is Karst’s alleged fourth offense.