Three men have been slapped with a slew of charges after police caught them red-handed with a stolen vehicle in Allen Park, Mich., last month. Brandon Blackshire, 21, Dawayne Crutchfield, 20, and Demetrius Winkfield, 21, were implicated in a spree of car thefts across metro Detroit, authorities say. According to FOX 2 Detroit, the trio was nabbed on March 20.
Working in collaboration, the Canton Police Department's Special Operations Group and the Northville Township Police Department orchestrated the arrest. The vehicle in their possession had been reported stolen from Northville Township. Crutchfield also had a pending warrant for stealing a vehicle in Canton in 2022. With illegal guns also found, Crutchfield's list of charges, according to Patch, includes receiving and concealing a motor vehicle and multiple firearm violations.
Details on what type of vehicle was stolen and when it was taken were unspecified. The three men face charges that range from receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle to assault and weapons offenses. WWJ Newsradio reports that all were ordered to wear GPS tethers and their bail was set at $50,000 each.
Blackshire is additionally charged with assaulting a police officer and is noted as a habitual offender on his fourth offense. Crutchfield is in the same boat, staring down the barrel of a second habitual offender notice and an extra $50,000 bond from an earlier case. With guns discovered on Crutchfield and Winkfield, they received extra charges including felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, alongside carrying concealed weapons, as the police reported. The next court date for the three men is scheduled for April 22, whereas, for the case dating back to 2022, Crutchfield will appear before the court on April 5.
Police did not release further specifics regarding the ongoing investigation, but the sting operation marks a momentary victory in the ongoing battle against vehicle thefts plaguing Metro Detroit communities.
