Northville Township Police Catch Identity Theft Suspect

Matthew Ward Phelan, 53, of Plymouth, is behind bars after Northville Township police arrested him Thursday on charges of identity theft.

Police were searching for a man who was suspected of using stolen credit cards at local Meijer stores, Kroger stores and Mobile gas stations. Police had photos from security footage of the man wearing a white golf hat with the logo from “Pine Lake Country Club” and various golf shirts and pants.

Thanks to an anonymous tip, detectives identified the suspect as Phelan, police said in a news release Wednesday morning.

After an investigation and surveillance, police arrested him Thursday at a country club in Genesee County, according to the release.

Phelan was arraigned in the Wayne County's 3rd Circuit Court on four counts of identify theft, a five year felony, and seven counts of illegal use of a financial transaction device, a four year felony, according to police.

Phelan is in Wayne County Jail on a $100,000 bond, police said. His preliminary examination is Sept. 13 at 35th District Court in Plymouth.