Police: Man Fuels Drug Habit with Stolen Merchandise from Home Depot

A 20-year-old Southfield Man faces second-degree retail fraud charges after he attempted to steal various merchandise on Jan. 14 from the Plymouth Home Depot on 5 Mile Road, according to a police report.

A Home Depot employee told police he saw the man concealing copper plumbing and various valves inside his coat while walking through the store. The man left his shopping cart and exited the store without paying, the report said. 

The man was escorted back inside the store by the employee where he removed 18 pieces of merchandise from the inner liner of his coat. The merchandise totaled $247.43, the report said. 

The man told police that he sells stolen merchandise to an unknown contractor in Taylor for cash to support his heroin addiction, according to the report.