Dearborn Police Investigate Possible Inside Job at Advance America

A security alarm at 5 a.m. Sunday morning brought to small loan and cash advance business on Telegraph Road, which had fallen victim to two burglars only minutes before, according to a police report.

Although they arrived within moments after the alarm sounded, Dearborn police found no suspects on the property, the report said. The building’s glass front door was shattered and a safe hidden in a file cabinet was open and empty. 

Around 9 a.m., Advance America’s manager told police the only item missing was a metal cash box located inside of the safe, the report said. The box contained around $20 in change.

The company’s surveillance system caught the robbery on camera, giving management and Dearborn police a clear view of what happened.

At 4:48 a.m. the building’s glass front door was broken and two unidentified male suspects walked in, the report said. Both burglars walked straight to the rear of the building, spending around 30 seconds rifling through file cabinets. 

One suspect then went to the office bullpen and went through various desk drawers, according to the report. The pair fled the scene by 4:49 a.m., and officers saw one of the suspects carry out a white-handled sledgehammer. 

The manager told police all Advance America cash is stored in the back of the building, leading responding officers to question why the suspects would go straight for that area. It appears the suspects were familiar with the day-to-day operations of the business, Dearborn police noted in the report.

All money at “high risk” Advance America locations–such as Dearborn's store–is stored in the said office bullpen, the manager told police. Responding officers noted in the report that the two suspects only checked the areas where money is usually stored by management.

For questions on this blotter item, email jessica.carreras@patch.com.