TROY (WWJ) — Two men are facing charges for allegedly breaking into and robbing nearly a dozen restaurants and stores in Oakland County.
The Troy Police Department on Monday announced 37-year-old Justin Shipp and 45-year-old Jackson Upton have been charged with conducting a criminal enterprise and breaking and entering with intent.
The charges stem from a string of robberies at retail businesses in Troy and the surrounding areas dating back to late last year, according to Troy police.
In late 2024 and into the beginning of January 2025, Troy police officials investigated a number of overnight burglaries believed to have been carried out by the same two suspects.
The suspects threw large rocks through the storefront glass and stole register drawers and cash, according to Troy police. The suspect vehicle in each was a black Chevrolet Malibu, officials said.
Officials have not said how much money the men are believed to have stolen.
Authorities did not identify any of the businesses Shipp and Upton allegedly broke into in 2024 into January, but said police officers were called to investigate reports of a “suspicious person/vehicle” at an ACE Hardware store in Highland Township on Thursday, Feb. 6.
When officers showed up, Shipp and Upton tried to run from the scene, but they were taken into custody.
Both Shipp and Upton were arraigned Friday in front of Magistrate Chiapelli at the 52-4 Court. They were both charged with conducting a criminal enterprise and breaking and entering. Upton was charged with first-degree retail fraud, while Shipp was charged with third-degree retail fraud.
Upton’s bond was set at $1 million cash/surety, no 10%, while Shipp’s was set at $750,000. Officials did not release any information about the suspects’ next court date.
“My office takes property crimes seriously because they endanger our communities and threaten the livelihood of small businesspeople and their employees,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a press release. “Prosecutors and police across jurisdictions are working together in Oakland County to bring these criminals to justice.”
The case was investigated by the Troy Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit, which is comprised of officers from the Auburn Hills Police Department, Birmingham Police Department, Bloomfield Township Police Department, Royal Oak Police Department.