(WWJ) – Over the past year here at WWJ we’ve brought you some hard-hitting stories about the topics Metro Detroiters care about most, from politics and government to social issues and more.
But this year had its fair share of off-the-wall headlines, from strange crimes to bizarre crashes and more. These are eight of the wackiest stories we wrote about in 2022.
Who stole Snoop Dogg? Earlier this month legendary rapper Snoop Dogg went missing in Detroit. Well, not exactly. Detroit police took to Twitter asking the community for help finding the person who stole a 3-foot-tall Snoop Dogg bobblehead from a liquor store on the city’s west side. The bobblehead at Tradewinds Liquor Store was originally used for a Corona beer promo and valued between $500 and $1,500.
Drunk man arrested at Troy Taco Bell drive-thru: In January Troy police were called to a Taco Bell on Dequindre near Long Lake Road to check on a man who had been sitting in the drive-thru for an extended period of time “for no apparent reason.” When officers showed up he pulled into a parking space and officers noticed his eyes were "glazed over and bloodshot." He ultimately blew a .13 BAC after performing poorly on sobriety tests.
Sneaky thieves love this Up North Walmart: The Walmart on M-32 in Alpena apparently had quite the problem with thieves who thought they were slick this summer. Just before Labor Day Michigan State Police arrested a man who was swapping the barcodes from less expensive items to more expensive products and going through the self-checkout line. After busting him, they discovered he’d done it multiple times over the summer. Soon after that arrest a man and woman were busted trying to pull the exact same trick. Another woman was arraigned this fall after MSP caught her at the same store “skipping items” in self-checkout. When confronted, she became agitated, denied any wrongdoing and left the store.
Udder mess Up North: It was an "udder mess" after a milk truck overturned in Northern Michigan on the first weekend of fall. MSP officials say the truck, carrying roughly 42,000 gallons of milk, was making a turn off M-32 when it overturned, spilling milk onto the road. It wasn’t clear what caused the truck to overturn, but officials said no other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.
Santa wasn’t paying attention: Santa found himself on the naughty list earlier this month when he caused a fender bender in Warren. MSP officials shared a photo of the scene, showing a man dressed in full Santa garb standing outside of a Volkswagen sedan crashed on the I-696 Service Drive. While no drivers -- or reindeer -- were injured, it did appear Santa struck the second vehicle with enough force that the airbags deployed.
A sticky situation in Alpena: This small Northern Michigan town finds itself on the list again, this time for a confrontation in the parking lot of a business. MSP officials say a woman and her boyfriend were confronted by a man in the parking lot in early April. After the dust settled and the couple went to leave, her vehicle stopped working. Authorities later found a sticky substance around the gas cap and a mechanic later confirmed the suspect had dumped maple syrup into the tank, clogging the fuel pump. The suspect was arrested a month later and charged with malicious destruction of personal property.
Brawl at Lakeside mall: What was a night at the carnival turned into something closer to fight night outside the Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights back in April. Multiple fights broke out among groups of kids attending the Shelby Lions Leader Dog Carnival, leading to police dispersing the crowds. At least one teen was hospitalized as a result of the melee.
“Please pay attention!”: The Road Commission for Oakland County had to put out a reminder for drivers to keep their eyes on the road after one driver got caught up in a sinking situation earlier this month. Officials called it a “lousy morning” for one driver who drove right past construction barrels on Maple Road and into freshly poured concrete. No injuries were reported and crews worked quickly to fix the problem.
