Stolen backpacks recovered in Birmingham

A missing backpack believed to be stolen from a vehicle on Monday, February 14, at a grocery store parking lot in the 700 block of Maple was recovered at a nearby bus stop, police said.

Birmingham police responded about 4:43 p.m. to the area of Maple, just east of Woodward, where a backpack was found with a laptop inside. The owner of the backpack, a 71-year-old Bloomfield Hills woman, was contacted by telephone.

Police said the woman believes her backpack was stolen from her vehicle while parked at Kroger, 685 E. Maple in Birmingham. The backpack was returned to the owner.

Birmingham police said the incident may be connected to another stolen backpack incident reported about an hour prior to the recovered backpack being found.

Officers responded about 3:35 p.m. to the 35100 block of Woodward to Generations for a theft from a vehicle. The victim, a 44-year-old Bloomfield Hills resident, told police the backpack was taken from her vehicle while she was inside the building. The victim wasn’t sure if the vehicle was locked. Police said there were no signs of forced entry to the vehicle.

The backpack and its contents were later recovered in the northeast corner of the parking lot. The victim said only $4 was missing.