Howell Woman Faces Charges From Tuesday Incident

A Howell woman was charged with receiving stolen property after an incident in the parking lot on Tuesday night.

According to the at 8:18 p.m. on Tuesday, 51-year-old Marie Bieksha was seen sitting in a grey Toyota Corolla by the woman who owned the car. When confronted by the owner, Bieksha said she thought she was in her own car, which the police confirmed was a white Chevy Malibu.

Detective Sgt. Eileen Dodd of the Howell Police Department said Bieksha had put items from the woman's car into a shopping cart, which she returned to the owner before leaving the scene. Dodd said the woman called her husband to tell him what had happened, who asked about the status of a Tag Heuer watch that had been in the car and could not be found. 

After the police department was notified of the missing watch, Bieksha was located by Ptl. Eric Encarnation and found to be in possession of the watch. As a result she was charged with receiving stolen property and was released on a criminal summons, according to Dodd. 

In light of this and other incidents involving items being taken from cars, Dodd said residents should remember to lock their cars at all times. That includes when they are home and either parked in a driveway or on the street. Dodd said many of the incidents have occurred in parked and unlocked cars overnight.