With help from neighboring departments, Lake Orion police spoiled the holidays for a man who recently robbed the village’s Sunoco station.
On Nov. 28, an armed man thought to be in his early twenties, walked into the Sunoco at 378 Broadway, asked the cashier for change, then demanded all the money in the store’s cash register.
The station’s security cameras captured a photo of the suspect, which ultimately led to the arrest Friday (Dec. 8) of Blake Alan Harlow, 22, of Clarkston.
Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh credited Oxford Polce Sgt. Mike Solwold for his keen eye and sharp instincts in locating the suspect.
Narsh said Solwold was near the end of his shift on Friday, when he noticed a man and vehicle that matched the description of the suspect in the Nov. 28 robbery.
The suspect appeared to be casing the Sunoco station in Oxford, located at Washington and Lincoln streets.
Solwold observed the suspect and vehicle, a white 1997 Mercury Tracer, exit and then return to the Oxford gas station around 11:30 p.m., said Narsh.
Based on the similarities of the suspect and the vehicle, Sgt. Solwold attempted a traffic stop. However, the suspect fled at a high rate of speed on southbound M-24.
Harlow’s vehicle continued into Auburn Hillls, where police had deployed stop sticks in the roadway.
Despite having his tires blown out, said Narsh, the suspect continued driving onto northbound I-75, riding on the vehicle’s rims.
With police from various departments in pursuit, Harlow was eventually forced off the freeway near the Baldwin Road exit. Harlow reportedly resisted arrest and was tasered before being taken into custody.
Narsh said evidence was found in the suspect’s vehicle and on his person, linking him to the Lake Orion robbery.
Harlow was arraigned Monday before Magistrate Marie Soma of the 52-3 District Court. He will be charged with one count of armed robbery, an offense punishable by life in prison.
The suspect is being held in the Oakland County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond, with a preliminary exam set for Dec. 18 before Judge Julie Nicholson.
‘I’m convinced that had he (Harlow) not been captured, there would have been more armed robberies,? said Narsh, adding that the suspect has a history of drug use and criminal activity.
‘The investigation has revealed a hard-core drug user with a lengthy criminal history,? said Narsh. ‘When an individual’s drug use leads to armed robberies and violent crime, it becomes a community problem.?