Councilperson Lennon Catches Shoplifter at Dollar Castle
(Crystal A. Proxmire, 8/29/11)
Councilperson Michael Lennon relied on his police officer instincts to help employees at Dollar Castle (200 W. 9 Mile) catch and detain a shoplifter.
“I was in the Dollar Castle when I heard commotion a few aisles over,” Lennon said. “The owner’s brother was struggling with a guy who had items stuffed in his pants, while the cashier was calling the Police Department.
“I went over and tried to help. We held him but he struggled and got away. The thief took off out the back door, and we went after him. We caught him there by the back rail where it exits out to the Withington parking lot there. We struggled and he was a lot younger than we were, but we held him until Ferndale’s Finest showed up.”
Mark Mio, the store’s owner, said the thief had approximately 15 cans of body spray stuffed down his pants. His brother Nathan was the one who first caught the suspect.
Mio says shoplifting incidents are frequent in his store. “It is becoming a big problem we are seeing more now than before. Some of the ways are they open up the package and take what’s inside and leave the package empty. Kids do this with toys. Adults do it with socks, medicine, and school supplies.”
Ferndale Police recovered the stolen items and returned them to the store.
“We appreciate what Mike’s done,” he said. “He’s a great guy.” Both Mio and Lennon said that he is a regular shopper.
The 54 year old councilperson is a retired Ferndale Police Officer who left the Department in 2002. Because of a heart condition, Lennon has a pacemaker and has been instructed by doctors to “take it easy.”
“The guys on the scene knew about my health problems, so they were real conscious of that and asking if I was okay,” Lennon said. “I’m a little sore today, but I got both feet on the ground so I can’t complain.”
Lennon is running again for City Council this November. He has served since 2004. When asked if this will affect his campaign, he laughed. “You see something going on that’s wrong, you stop to help. That’s no matter what is going on. That’s just what being a good neighbor is.”
