TROY, Mich. – A man and a woman were arrested after police say the man broke into a home, hid in a resident’s bushes and then was seen crouching behind a car near a Troy elementary school.
Officers said they were called at 8:25 a.m. Oct. 4 to the area of Clarke and Reilly drives on reports of a man, acting suspiciously. Callers said the man, later identified as James Edwin Johnson, 35, of Detroit, was last seen walking toward Costello Elementary School.
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Authorities received another call about a man hiding in the bushes in his backyard before jumping over a fence, police said.
When officers arrived, they were waved down by someone who said she saw a person crouched down behind a car. Police located Johnson standing with a woman and talking to the elementary school principal, according to authorities.
Johnson and the 28-year-old Detroit woman said they were trying to enroll their children at Costello Elementary School.
Officers said Johnson’s shoes and clothes were wet and muddy, but he couldn’t explain why.
During the investigation, police said a jewelry box was found in the bush where Johnson had previously been accused of hiding.
The 28-year-old woman told police that she was at the school to enroll her children and to pick up Johnson, authorities said. Officials said when they asked her why she needed to pick Johnson up at the school, she couldn’t provide an answer.
A resident on Clarke Drive returned home and told police that someone had broken in and stolen multiple items, according to authorities.
Officers located multiple stolen items in the surrounding area, police said.
Johnson and woman were both arrested on suspicion of home invasion. They were taken to the Troy Police Lock-Up Facility, officials said.
Johnson was arraigned Oct. 6 at 52-4 District Court on one count of second-degree home invasion.