Officer Finds Suspicious Sum of Money During Traffic Arrest

An officer saw suspicious activity July 4 at the intersection of Silversprings Drive and Seven Mile Road, according to a Northville Township police report.

The driver of a 2010 Ford Taurus stopped in the intersection and the front seat passenger got out of the car, the report said. 

The officer asked what was going on and the passenger, of Northville Township, said she was going to switch seats with the driver because she was more familiar with the area, according to the report. The officer did a background check and found the driver, from Detroit, had an expired driver’s license and a warrant out of Wayne County, the report said. 

The officer arrested him and found $450 in 50s and $720 in 20s in his front right pocket and $23 in his left pocket, according to the report. The money was in a single unbanded roll, the report said.

The man said that the money was his, however the passenger said that the money was for her tuition and they stopped in the intersection because she knew how to get to the bank, according to the report. She said they were going to a Chase bank to deposit the money in her account, the report said. The woman said she is the driver’s girlfriend and the money was a loan to her from him, according to the report.

The officer also saw that the rear passenger, of Detroit, had a plastic cup of tequila on the floor near his seat, the report said. The officer arrested him for having open intoxicants in a vehicle, according to the report. The officer also found an empty sandwich bag, tied in a knot with a small corner ripped off, which the officer thought was used to transport narcotics, the report said. 

The officer took the two men to the police department, the report said. The rear passenger was found to have several Chase bank receipts from July 3 showing several rejected attempts to withdraw cash in $300 and $500 amounts, according to the report. The man said the account belonged to his wife and he had already returned the debit card to her, the report said.  

The officer thought the cash he found was narcotic related or part of a bank fraud, according to the report. There was not sufficient evidence, so the money was returned to the driver, the report said. 

For questions about this crime report, email aysha.jamali@patch.com.