Mike McConnell
Daily Tribune, Royal Oak, Mich. (TNS)
Aug. 26—A man was charged Friday with stealing a Madison Heights fire utility pickup truck from the city's fire headquarters station.
Ashon L. Norman, 30 of Romulus was arraigned before Madison Heights 43rd District Magistrate Michael Mitchell on felony charges of auto theft and larceny in a building.
Norman's bond was set at $10,000 cash in the Tuesday afternoon theft of the fully-marked fire department's 2021 Chevrolet Silverado.
Police said they caught up with the suspect around 5 p.m. Thursday in Detroit, not far from where the stolen vehicle was recovered undamaged.
"We're not sure what he was doing in Madison Heights when the theft occurred," said Madison Heights police Lt. Michael Siladke. "Apparently, he was desperate for a ride."
Norman got into the large fire headquarters building through a door that was open, police said.
Fire officials told police the key fob to the pickup truck was near the vehicle when it was stolen. No one was in the area near the truck when it was taken, police said.
The value of the fire utility vehicle is estimated at about $50,000.
Siladke said investigators checked with the suspect's relatives and searched for the stolen vehicle before a tip led them to where it was located in Detroit near Midland and Oakland streets Thursday.
Norman's next court date was still pending on Friday after his arraignment.
Though the suspect has an address in Romulus, police said he is known to regularly frequent locations in Detroit.
Norman has no major prior criminal convictions on his record, Siladke said.
The auto theft charge against him is punishable by up to five years in prison, and the larceny in a building charge is a four-year felony.
Police released information about the theft to news outlets Thursday afternoon.
The vehicle was easy to spot.
The upper half of the truck is black, and the lower half is red with a black stripe outlined in gold along the sides. The truck also has a fire department logo on the doors and a light bar on it.
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