Men accused of stealing purse, crashing stolen car in ditch

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Two men were arrested Monday after they allegedly stole a woman's purse and crashed into a ditch in Clinton Township.

Jalon Barnes, a 17-year-old Clinton Township man, and Deondre Coleman, an 18-year-old from Detroit, were charged with larceny from a person, a felony. The men are being held in the Macomb County Jail.

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Police say a woman was unloading groceries from her car in a driveway on Nunneley Road near Gratiot Avenue in Clinton Township. She left the hatchback open while the purse was laying inside the back of the car.

A Dodge Durango pulled up and a man jumped out and grabbed the purse, according to police.

"She heard a noise from behind her and looked up to see a 6-foot-tall guy grabbing her purse," said Detective Capt. Richard Maierle. "He said 'thank you,' kind of sarcastically, and hopped back into the Durango."

The woman called police, who received a call about a Durango that crashed into a ditch on Kellogg Street shortly afterwards.

When the police got to Kellogg Street, they saw two men running from the car and throwing a purse on the ground. The men were caught near Mapleridge and Woodbury Streets.

Maierle said the Durango had been reported stolen from a Clinton Township woman who left the keys in the ignition with the motor running to warm up the inside on Feb. 20.