Jacob Kuzma

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

FERNDALE — A prisoner escaped from Ferndale police custody after he was arrested for shoplifting, but officers later tracked him down at a house in Detroit.

According to Detective Lt. Bill Wilson, police responded to a reported retail fraud at the Rite Aid Pharmacy at 22346 Woodward Ave. at around 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 2. The suspect — Jacob Kuzma, 28, of Ferndale — left the store, got into a Pontiac Aztek and drove toward Eight Mile Road with Ferndale officers in pursuit.

When the officers located Kuzma, they attempted to stop his vehicle, but he fled at high speeds through Detroit neighborhoods. He eventually crashed into a light pole at Stender and Coventry streets, where he was caught by police. During a search of his vehicle, a crack pipe was found in addition to the stolen store merchandise.

Kuzma was placed under arrest on charges of retail fraud, fleeing and eluding police and possession of drug paraphernalia.

But while being transported back to the station, Kuzma managed to slip free from one of his handcuffs in the backseat of the patrol car. He escaped from the vehicle as it slowed for a stop at the intersection of Conant and Dequindre streets and fled into the surrounding neighborhood.

“He was a tall, thin guy, and one of the cuffs wasn’t on tight enough, so he was able to get his hand free,” Wilson explained. “He then reached out the window and opened the door.”

Despite a search of the area by Ferndale officers and a K-9 unit from the Hazel Park Police Department, Kuzma could not be found. After further investigation, however, officers were led to a house on Marx Street in Detroit, where they arrested Kuzma at about 1:40 p.m. the next day.

A subsequent check of his record revealed a lengthy criminal history for theft, home invasion and fleeing and eluding.

Kuzma was arraigned in Ferndale 43rd District Court on Sept. 4 by Magistrate James Patterson, who charged him with fleeing and eluding third degree, resisting and obstructing, and retail fraud second degree. Bond was set at $100,000 cash or surety, and a preliminary exam was scheduled for Sept. 18 at 1 p.m.

Wilson stressed that a suspect escaping Ferndale police custody is extremely rare. “I’ve been here for 23 years, and we’ve never had it happen to us until now,” he said.