DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 26-year-old man's unusual approach to burglary has left Dearborn police scratching their heads after he returned to the scene of a home invasion to politely ask for his shoes back.
Watch Faraz Javed's video report:
Tyree Marquis Williams allegedly broke into a Dearborn home on January 21 around noon, but not before removing his shoes at the door. When the homeowners returned and discovered the break-in, Williams had already fled — leaving his footwear behind.
"I said to her, hey, why'd you leave your shoes right in the middle here? She said, well, those aren't my shoes," one homeowner recalled. "She says, those are your shoes. And I says, no. So, you know, then we decided, wow, there's somebody here."
What happened next surprised even seasoned officers. Williams returned to the house and knocked on the front door, politely asking the homeowners for his shoes back.
"But after leaving the house, he was polite enough to come back to the house, knock on the door, and politely ask for his shoes back," Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said.
The entire interaction was captured on police body camera footage, including officers examining the shoes Williams had left behind.
WEB EXTRA: Body cam video shows arrest
Police say Williams entered through an unsecured back door and rifled through the house, stealing items before the homeowners returned and interrupted the burglary.
"It is very rare for us for someone to break into a home in our city and then do it during the daytime," Shahin said. "I mean, he was at least courteous enough to take his shoes off, but unfortunately, he rifled through the house and stole items from it."
Officers arrested Williams about an hour later, just a few blocks away. He wasn't difficult to spot — he was wearing plastic bags on his feet.
WEB EXTRA: Dash cam video shows arrest
"When we arrested him, not only did we find some evidence from that home invasion, but then from another housebreaking that happened a few weeks earlier," Shahin said.
Police found credit cards and cash on Williams that connected him to both home invasions. Home surveillance video shows Williams walking barefoot through a backyard during the recent break-in.
When asked which part of the incident was stranger — removing his shoes or returning for them — Shahin said both were unusual.
"Yeah, they're both pretty strange for us. I think coming back was probably a little weirder," he said.
David Slanc, who lives a few homes down from the break-in, said the incident was shocking but hasn't made him feel unsafe in the neighborhood.
"Our street is fairly safe. All the neighbors are fairly comfortable. We don't have a lot of issues here," Slanc said.
Police dismissed Williams' claim that he broke into the house to stay warm.
"No, I mean, look, you can't break into someone's house to get warm, and there's a lot of places he could have gone to warm up. And again, he went through all their drawers," Shahin said.
Williams is currently out on a $5,000 personal bond with a GPS tether. He faces multiple felony charges, including two counts each of home invasion, larceny, and possession of financial transaction devices.
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