By Gordon Wilczynski, Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Two ex-convicts from Detroit who are suspects for several nighttime break-ins in Macomb County, have been charged by St. Clair County authorities with breaking into a gasoline station in Casco Township and stealing over 200 cartons of cigarettes.Wayne Mendel Johnson, 43, and Jimmie Lee Felder, 47, are in the St. Clair County Jail on $50,000 bond set in 72nd District Court in Marine City.
They are accused of throwing a brick through a window at a Sunoco gasoline station on Interstate 94 and Division Road (32 Mile Road) on Monday morning and stealing 200 cartons of cigarettes valued at $10,000, according to Sgt. Craig Nyeholt of the Michigan State Police Post in Richmond.The suspects were arrested on I-94 and North River Road by Chesterfield Township police moments after the break-in. Police found the cigarettes in the back seat of their dark colored Jeep, Nyeholt said.
"Our officers were notified of the break-in when an alarm sounded," Nyeholt said. "A check of the security surveillance tape showed that two black men driving a dark colored Jeep threw a cinder block through a window and stole the cigarettes."We checked the surveillance tape which showed the suspects left in a dark colored Jeep.
That information was dispatched to Chesterfield Township police because we knew they had similar burglaries in their jurisdiction."Chesterfield Township Officer Robert Swanson set up surveillance on I-94 and saw a dark colored Jeep on Interstate 94 and stopped it at North River Road. Swanson arrested Johnson and Felder because they fit the description of the people wanted in connection with the Sunoco station robbery and the evidence of the break-in was found in the back seat of the vehicle.
Detective Sgt. Deron Myers said police questioned the suspects who are suspects in two similar incidents in Chesterfield Township. Police in Sterling Heights and St. Clair Shores want to talk to Johnson and Felder for similar "smash and grab" thefts in their cities.Both Johnson and Felder have been in and out of jails all of their adult lives, police said.
Felder has three drug delivery and drug possession arrests dating back to 1989 and five breaking and entering arrests. Felder also has five arrests for breaking and entering a building.Johnson, who goes by the aliases of Boss Hog, Orlando Jones, Marc Wiggins and James King, has several arrests dating back to 1984. He was convicted for two breaking and entering charges, two for stealing a vehicle, one for unarmed robbery, fleeing and eluding police and prison escape.Police said neither man spoke to police. The court will appoint a taxpayer paid lawyer to represent them.
They are being charged as habitual criminals.
http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2010/03/31/news/doc4bb344f2be7c3058841353.txt
