University of Michigan police arrest longtime office thief

Edward Eugene Harris Sr. has been locked up since Oct. 8 on a parole detainer (which is like a warrant from the Department of Corrections) for absconding from parole.

Harris now faces four previous larceny charges, and several additional charges have been submitted to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office for possible warrant authorization. All told, campus police believe they solved more than a dozen cases with Harris' arrest.

This information wasn't reported immediately because the cases were still under investigation. It appears Harris was working with several other thieves who met on a daily basis to discuss where the day’s thefts would take place. U-M police had reliable information that Harris alone was stealing two to three purses or laptops a day since he was first paroled.

As I mentioned last month, Harris' particular specialty is stealing purses or wallets (out of purses) that are in office workers’ desks.

Several commenters wondered why Harris’ name was not mentioned in the first article about his exploits. The reason is simple: Harris isn't the only thief residents have to worry about.

My aim is to inform (and perhaps entertain) readers using the examples of local criminals the Ann Arbor Police Department has dealt with in the past - hopefully to prevent crimes they, or others like them, will commit in the future. There are many thieves like Harris, although few have his criminal expertise and longevity.

Furthermore, I don't usually use names of criminals because I write about their past activities and wouldn't want to ruin the chances of someone trying to reform — it is unlikely but it could happen. In other cases, I won’t use criminals’ names because I don’t want to give them any fame or notoriety for their nefarious activities.

The University of Michigan Police Department did a great job arresting Harris. U-M Police Chief Ken Magee quipped that Harris was a serial “larcenist” involved in both theft and “fugitation” (i.e. being a fugitive absconding from parole) during a local law enforcement gathering. 

Hopefully Harris won’t be a threat for a while, but there are still others like him who continue to victimize the Ann Arbor area.

Therefore, remember to keep your purses and valuables locked up in offices and don't leave your laptop computer unattended in public places. If you are a student or use your laptop for work, be sure to save your important work on an external drive or memory device in case your computer is stolen.

Lock it up, don’t leave it unattended, be aware and watch out for your neighbors.

Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.