Five illegal immigrants from Colombia were busted in the midst of a break-in in Troy last week after the homeowner discovered an unknown person inside and called police, WJBK reports.
The Troy Police Department on Monday identified those arrested as Owen Jean Cortes, Michel Leandro Alba Rincon, Omar Giovvany Rodriguez-Aponte, Geovany Enreque Castellanos-Forero, and Alberto Franco-Jimenez, all of which were arraigned on second-degree home invasion.
Cortex also faces one count of possession of burglary tools, while Franco-Jimenez faces a second charge of driving with a suspended or revoked license. They ranged in age from 25 to 48.
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The incident occurred at about 12:56 p.m. on Thursday, when the homeowner on the 3600 block of Millay called Troy Police Dispatch to report an intruder in their home. The homeowner was at work watching the intruder on a camera inside their home, according to Troy Police.
When officers arrived, Cortes ran west through a car wash parking lot and officers caught up to him near Hidden Ridge Drive and Colebrook Avenue. Officers found Rincon walking southbound on Rochester Road and made an arrest after he walked into Noni’s Restaurant. Rodriguez-Aponte headed south on Rochester Road and video surveillance showed him getting into a silver Honda Odyssey with a Virginia license plate.
Detectives later arrested Rodriguez-Aponte, Castellanos-Forero, and Franco-Jimenez during a traffic stop, according to a Troy Police statement.
One resident who witnessed the scene told WJBK they were shocked by the bust.
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“I was like, ‘man this is crazy!’” said the witness, who asked to remain anonymous. “I ain’t never seen nothing like that!”
“I heard about (break-ins) in a couple of places … but it was kind of bizarre that it happened here, so close to us,” the witness said.
Nearby resident Jennifer McWilliams wasn’t surprised.
“Seems like it’s a sign of the times. Troy is a pretty affluent area,” she told WJBK. “Not shocked that they are here.”
“I don’t know what the solution to that is other than just beefing up neighborhood community, watching out for each other, police presence,” she said.
A police source told WJBK the suspects are from Columbia and are part of a gang of burglars targeting high-end homes in Oakland County, though Troy Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Ben Hancock could not confirm those claims.
“We’re still working with immigration and customs” to verify the immigration status of those arrested, Hancock told The Midwesterner.
It remains unclear whether the break-in was related to others in the area in recent years committed by Chilean gangs who utilize visa waivers to gain entry to the United States legally.
“We’re still working on trying to connect the dots,” Hancock said.
The Troy Police statement commends its road patrol officers, detectives and special investigations unit on collaborating on the arrests of the five suspects “who are likely connected to an international crime ring.”
“All five suspects were arraigned on 8/4/24 and are being held at the Oakland County Jail,” the statement read.
In April, Northfield Township Police and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office issued warnings about Chilean gangs burglarizing luxury homes, stealing millions in cash, jewelry and other expensive items.
“We’re confident it’s a group organized out of South America and they’re here targeting those high-end homes,” Northville Township Deputy Police Chief Matthew Mackenzie told WXYZ. “It’s nationwide, it’s not just southeast Michigan or this region. It’s California, New York, it’s all over the country.”
Those incidents and others last year convinced more than 30 local police agencies in southwest Michigan to create a task force dedicated to stopping the burglaries.
Other foreigners have been arrested for a string of organized thefts at retailers in Auburn Hills and Bloomfield Township, including three Romanian women who were transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in June.