Snowy footprints lead Pittsfield police to man accused of armed robbery, theft at 2 gas stations

Both thefts occurred at gas stations at the intersection of Washtenaw Avenue at Golfside Road, police said.

At 3:55 a.m., the man entered one gas station, grabbed the boxes of candy bars and hats, then broke down an exit door and escaped, the release said.

At 5:15 a.m., the cashier at the station where the theft occurred saw the man enter another gas station across the street, police said. Moments later, the clerk from that gas station called police to report he had just been robbed at knifepoint, the release said. The thief stole magazines and left.

The clerk showed officers the thief's tracks in the snowy parking lot, and they followed the shoe prints to a nearby apartment complex across Golfside Road in Ypsilanti Township, the release said.

The resident who lives at the apartment allowed officers from Pittsfield Township and the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department inside, and the stolen property was recovered, police said. The items were valued at $500.

The 40-year-old suspect, who was inside the apartment with the resident, was arrested and is expected to be arraigned Sunday, police said.