Oxford resident Patricia Osborn, 46, is now in jail after allegedly robbing a man who was in jail.
Especially when the crime is allegedly breaking and entering into a residence of a known inmate in Oakland County Jail and allegedly stealing possessions belonging to the inmate.
Osborn was arraigned in front of Magistrate Marie Soma at the 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills on Monday, July 11 on one count of home invasion in the second degree, a felony, and one count of stolen property ? receiving and concealing in excess of $1,000, also a felony, after she allegedly broke into a home on E. Jackson St. in Lake Orion and stole a shopping cart full of items valuing over $15,000.
The count of home invasion has a sentence of 15 years and/or $3,000, while the count of stolen property has a sentence of 5 years and and/or $10,000.
On Saturday, June 24 around 3:15 p.m., Lake Orion Police Department ordinance officer Tim Reetz was on a neighborhood patrol on E. Jackson St. when he observed Osborn exiting from the residence in question.
Reetz contacted LO officer Todd Stanfield, who advised Reetz to detain Osborn.
When Stanfield made contact with Osborn, whom he identified ‘as someone who had previous run-ins with the home owner? according to a press release by LOPD, she was pushing a shopping cart overflowing with bags on the property next to the entrance of the residence.
According to the release, Stanfield knew two things about the residence.
First, the home owner was currently housed in Oakland County Jail serving a sentence for misdemeanor violations and second, no one else was living there.
When questioned about the items, Osborn stated they were hers and she was in the process of taking them to a garage sale.
According to reports, Osborn proceeded to approach a nearby homeowner and asked the homeowner to tell the officers she owned the items in the cart. The homeowner replied ‘yes.?
Officers saw the homeowner wanted to give them more information, so they returned later for additional questioning.
Officers began searching the items in the cart and noticed an address attached to one of the parcels. They asked Osborn if she had been to the residence on E. Jackson, which she denied.
Further questioning led one officer to the residence, where he inspected the back door and discovered that it recently had been forced open. Inside the home were empty boxes and other items that connected the property in Osborn’s possession to the home.
Osborn was released pending additional property identification.
According to the release, an officer photographed the items and took them to OCJ in order for the alleged victim to identify them.
Lake Orion Police Cheif Jerry Narsh said in the release when the officer completed his investigation at the jail, the alleged victim thanked the officer for recovering her property.
Osborn was arrested at her Oxford Township home on Saturday, July 9 and was taken into custody without incident.
‘I suppose it was helpful and ironic that the victim was released from jail the day before Osborn was arrested,? Narsh said in the release. ‘Although the jail is a big place, it would have been uncomfortable to have them both in the same place, at the same time.?
Osborn returned to Oakland County Jail following her arraignment because she was unable to post the $15,000 cash surety, 10 percent allowed, bond.
Her pre-exam conference was scheduled before Judge Julie Nicholson on Thursday, July 14 and she is scheduled to go back before Judge Nicholson for her exam on Monday, August 15 at 8:30 a.m.
Narsh was pleased with the arrest.
‘This is what proactive police patrol is all about. It is having officers know their community, their residents and who are in the neighborhoods looking for things out of the ordinary,? he said in the release.
He added it was rare they were able to capture the subject at the time of the crime, recover and return 100 percent of the victims property.
Lake Orion Staff Writer Gabriel Ouzounian contributed to this story.