Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Police have identified a suspect wanted for stealing scrap metal from a fundraising drive over the weekend.

On Sunday, the Hamburg Township Public Safety Department received a report of the theft of scrap metal from Pathfinder School located at 2100 E. M-36. The scrap metal had been donated as part of a fundraising drive in support of Pinckney Wrestling.

The Department said investigators subsequently developed a suspect, identified as a 48-year-old Genoa Township man, and a vehicle in the case through various techniques.

At approximately 2pm Tuesday, officers were able to locate the suspect and vehicle in the area of Chilson and Crooked Lake Roads and followed him to a home in Genoa Township.

Officers approached the suspect, who was said to be cooperative during the encounter, and located part of the stolen scrap metal in a trailer that was being pulled by the suspect vehicle. Further investigation revealed that a portion of the stolen scrap metal had already been sold.

The trailer containing the remaining stolen scrap metal was impounded.

A warrant request for larceny is being submitted to the Livingston County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

Meanwhile, Pinckney Wrestling posted the following on Facebook after the incident:

Heartbreaking News
We are devastated to share that our scrap metal drive fundraiser for the Pinckney Wrestling program was robbed in the middle of the night.

Sometime overnight, someone came and stole a large portion of our donations, including several air compressors and air conditioning units generously donated by BJ’s Heating and Cooling. These items were not only valuable, they represented the heart and hope of our fundraiser.

This fundraiser supports our wrestlers with gear, travel costs, and opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have. It’s incredibly disheartening to see such generosity and hard work taken away in an instant.

To whoever did this - we want you to know that you didn’t just take metal. You stole from a community, from kids working hard to chase their goals, and from small businesses trying to give back.

To our community - we need your support now more than ever. If you saw or heard anything, please let us know. If you’re able to donate again, every bit helps.

We refuse to let this setback stop us. Our team is strong, and our community is stronger.

#SupportLocalWrestling #WrestlingFamily #WeWillRebuild #CommunityStrong #pinckneywrestling


Photos: Pinckney Wrestling Facebook