69-Year-Old Northville Woman Robbed in Driveway

According to a press release from the Novthville City Police, at approximately 11 a.m. Wednesday, a 69-year-old woman had just returned from the Northville Community Center to her home on Lake Street in Northville. She had put her car in her garage and was walking down her driveway when a male carrying a burgundy portfolio approached her and asked if she would take part in a survey. The woman questioned the type of survey and noticed that the person did not have any type of identification, such as a lanyard with an identification card or badge, so she asked to see some I.D. This is the last thing that she remembered, according to the press release. When she awoke she managed to get into her home and call a friend who took her to Providence Park Hospital in Novi.

The woman suffered a fractured jaw and a severe head injury. She has been admitted to the hospital and is listed in stable condition, according to the press releae.

The woman’s purse was taken, which contained her cell phone, credit cards and identification. The cell phone has been recovered in Farmington Hills. The vehicle used by the man is described as a light-colored, possibly tan, sedan. The woman described the man as an African American male in his 30s with a medium build, wearing a dark, three-quarter-length cloth coat.

Officers are currently working with neighboring jurisdictions, which may have had similar incidents. The Farmington Hills Police Department received a report of a similar incident involving a woman being attacked after arriving home in her vehicle just before 11 p.m. Wednesday.

According to a Farmington Hills Police press release, a 42-year-old resident of Village Green Apartments, at Eight Mile and Grand River, suffered serious injuries when she was attacked at around 10:45 p.m., while inside the entrance to her building. Her assailant used a "club-type instrument", according to the release. The woman was treated at the scene by Farmington Hills Fire Dept. medics, then transported to an area hospital.

Farmington Hills Police Commander Matt Koehn said police have not been able to talk with the woman and so have few details about the crime. He also did not have information about the extent of her injuries.

In Talladega County, EMA director Debra Gaither said most of the groundwork had been done Wednesday. “We readjusted everyone’s schedules to make sure we’ve got someone here throughout the night. We’ve been posting updates on Twitter and Facebook, we’ve contacted all of our first responders via 800 megahertz radio, and we’ve got information from the National Weather Service in Birmingham via 800 megahertz. The main thing is for people to stay off the roads after dark as much as possible, and to check before they leave in the morning.”

Sylacauga city schools administrative assistant Terri Bentley said the system would make the decision about whether to delay or cancel school today by late Thursday night or early Friday morning. If there is any delay, students and parents will be notified via the SchoolCast system, and the information should also be posted online at www.sylacauag.k12.al.us.

Pell City Schools Superintendent Dr. Bobby Hathcock said Thursday that it was still too early to determine if officials will delay the opening of schools this morning.

“We could look at a delay of a couple of hours,” Hathcock said, adding that school officials will have to look at the big picture Friday morning. “It may be fine here in town, but it could be bad on the bus routes. We have to look at the bus situation.”

Talladega County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Jimmy Kilgore was in the process Thursday of rounding up every available four-wheel drive vehicle, and making sure they were all fueled up. “We’ll be available to help transport anyone who needs us,” he said.

Talladega city manager Brian Muenger said he was still evaluating the situation, and would meet again with the department heads before everyone went home.

“Public Works has already been out and cleaned up some roadside ponding, since our primary concern is ice in the morning. It’s supposed to be up to 40 degrees by 10 a.m. Friday, so everything will depend on how long the snow lasts.”

The Public Works Department will be kept on standby through the night, spreader trucks and sand, he added. “The police will be monitoring any problem areas, and we’ll make sure the hospital hill area stays clear. We may open city offices a little later in the morning if we need to.”

Talladega County Road Department Director Tim Markert said his crews normally go home at 3 p.m., but 10 people stayed on. “They’re out riding the roads,” he said. “We’ve got the sand trucks and spreaders all gassed up and ready to go, we’ve got the chainsaws ready. The guys that stayed on will be out until 7 p.m., and then we’ll have another crew on after that.”