Carnegie Hero jailed on $1M bond on felony charges he attacked his father
A Royal Oak man faces multiple felonies after police say he kicked in the door to his parents’ house and assaulted his father, but he was once recognized as a life-saving hero.
Suspect Benjamin Blostein, 34, was honored for saving the life of a man, 71, who was fly fishing and fell into the Big Manistee River near Marilla Township in 2019. He was one of 17 people named a Carnegie Hero by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission in 2020. The recognition is given to people who risk their lives for others.
But Blostein was arraigned Friday in Royal Oak 44th District Court following his arrest this week on felony counts of home invasion, aggravated assault, carrying a concealed weapon and other charges.
The suspect’s cash bond was set at $1 million.
Police said Blostein was free on a conditional bond and his parents had a personal protection order against him when he broke into their Royal Oak home about 5 p.m. Tuesday. The personal protection order was filed after police said he threatened to kill his mother.
“He attacked his father,” said Royal Oak police Lt. Richard Millard, “and slammed his head against a wall and started choking him.”
Blostein was carrying a knife with a 6-inch blade in a sheath, police said.
His mother jumped into the fray to stop the attack, police said, and the suspect fled the house on foot after he saw his mother calling 911.
Royal Oak officers found the suspect at a Marathon gas station at 12 Mile and Crooks roads.
Blostein is due back in Royal Oak District Court for a hearing Jan. 26.
Intoxicated speeding driver had concealed gun, cocaine in her car
Police arrested a Sterling Heights woman, 27, after they stopped her on I-75 for driving 90 mph and discovered she was drunk and had a gun and small amount of cocaine in her Dodge Charger.
The incident happened about 2 a.m. Thursday.
After stopping and talking to the suspect, police said they believed she was intoxicated. The woman failed field sobriety tests and refused to take an alcohol breath test.
Police impounded her car and said she had a .380-caliber handgun inside her gym back, which was in a passenger-side compartment.
Officers also said they found a small quantity of suspected cocaine in a plastic bag under the passenger seat.
Parole absconder is caught jumping out of motel bathroom window
A man wanted for absconding parole was arrested Monday shortly before midnight at the Seville Motel, 28300 Woodward Ave.
City police routinely check motel guest registries to determine if any are wanted criminals.
That’s what happened Monday.
Police went to the wanted 37-year-old man’s room and knocked on the door, which he failed to open.
“He didn’t want to come out,” said Royal Oak police Lt. Richard Millard. “He went to the bathroom and jumped out the window. We already had officers behind the motel and they arrested him.”
The suspect has a lengthy criminal record, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records, including multiple convictions for uttering and publishing, first-degree retail fraud, home invasion, car burglary, drugs, and forgery.
Owner of house undergoing renovation finds man sleeping in closet
A man walked into a house he owns in the 1900 block of Cedar Hill Drive and found an unknown man in a closet there.
The vacant house is undergoing construction renovations and it is unclear how the stranger got inside.
Police said he told the homeowner Jan. 6 that he was homeless and sleeping in the closet to get warm, but they are unsure if he was telling the truth.
The man ran off after he was discovered and could not be found after the owner reported the incident.
Porch pirate steals $4,000 worth of iPhones
A package containing four Apple iPhone Pro cell phones were stolen from the front porch of a house in the 200 block of Crane Avenue on Tuesday.
The phones, each worth at least $1,000, had been ordered from family members who live at the house.
The phones were delivered Tuesday, but gone when the homeowner went to retrieve them about an hour later.
-Mike McConnell, Tribune staff writer