Detroit, MI
2 Detroit men linked to vehicle thefts in 3 counties charged
Two Detroit men accused of being part of an auto theft ring that targeted dealerships in Macomb, Oakland and Genesee counties have been charged, police said.
David Franklin and Barron Hatcher Jr. allegedly stole more than 25 Dodge Durango SUVs from dealerships across the three counties, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.
Franklin, 41, was charged on Feb. 10 through 37th District Court in Warren with conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and possession of burglary tools, a 10-year felony, the sheriff’s office and court records said.
A judge set Franklin’s bond at $1 million and scheduled a probable cause hearing for March 4. He also ordered Franklin to wear a GPS tether if he posts bond.
Franklin’s attorney was not immediately available for comment on Friday.
Hatcher, 24, was charged earlier this month in 37th District Court with the same charges as Franklin, the sheriff’s office and court records said.
Last week, the court ordered Hatcher to stand trial in Macomb County Circuit Court. Court records said the charges stem from offenses that occurred from June through November 2024.
His bond was set at $500,000 and he is scheduled to be arraigned in circuit court on Monday, records said. Like Franklin, he was ordered to wear a GPS tether if he posts bond.
Hatcher’s attorney was not immediately available for comment on Friday.
Authorities said they in November started investigating a series of auto thefts. Investigators said they believed the suspects targeted Dodge dealerships and used a key programming device to steal multiple Durango SUVs at once.
Detectives from Macomb, Oakland, and Genesee counties as well as the Troy Police Department worked together to investigate the thefts, recover numerous vehicles and link the suspects to other crimes, according to officials.
Hatcher was arrested on Jan. 30 in Farmington Hills and Franklin was arrested in Houston, Texas on Jan. 31. He was later extradited to Michigan, police reported.
Both remain lodged at the Macomb County Jail, the sheriff’s office said.
Earlier this month, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said it is expanding its auto insurance fraud task force to include stolen vehicles as thefts spike in Michigan to ease the dismantling of theft rings across the state.
Last month, The Detroit News reported Michigan vehicle thefts jumped 56% from 2019 to 2023, according to state police crime statistics. Vehicle thefts in Michigan during the five years rose from 18,149 to 28,408, the most in the state since 2008.
In early January, four Detroit men were arrested in connection with a crime ring responsible for hundreds of vehicle thefts in southeast Michigan.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
@CharlesERamirez
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown dealing with knee injury
Lions QB Jared Goff on controversial final play vs Steelers
Goff said he didn’t agree with the pass interference call made on receiver Isaac TeSlaa in the final minute of the game, Dec. 21, 2025.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is dealing with a knee injury, though Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated he does not believe it’s serious.
St. Brown was listed as a non-participant on the Lions’ estimated practice report Monday, Dec. 22.
The Lions held a walk-through Monday in advance of this week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday (4:30 p.m., Netflix). Campbell said St. Brown showed up to the practice facility after the team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and reported the injury.
“We’ll know more a little bit later but this is just something that just popped up when he came in today,” Campbell said. “So hopeful this is something [that’s] just some type of irritation from the game. That’s what I’m hoping.”
St. Brown leads the Lions with 98 catches, 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns and needs two catches over the Lions’ final two games for his fourth straight 100-catch season.
Taylor Decker (shoulder) and Avonte Maddox (back) also were listed as non-participants on Monday’s practice report, and the Lions listed nine others as limited participants including starters Marcus Davenport (shoulder), Graham Glasgow (knee), Christian Mahogany (fibula), Alim McNeill (abdomen) and Amik Robertson (hand).
The Lions (8-7) must win their final two games and have the Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) lose their final two games to make the playoffs.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
Detroit, MI
Everything Dan Campbell Said After Detroit Lions Loss to Steelers
Here is everything head coach Dan Campbell said postgame, following the Detroit Lions 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Opening Statement: “Credit to those guys, (Steelers Head Coach Mike) Coach Tomlin, you know, they won that game, so. You know, look, it’s frustrating. I was proud of the way the guys fought, we fought our way back in that. We had an opportunity to win the game, which is ultimately what you want. But we weren’t able to close it out. At the end of the day, that’s on us. We did that. We’re the ones who put ourselves in that position where we had to try to score on the last play. But some of the efforts were outstanding, and it was just too little too late. A lot of – we just didn’t make enough plays.”
On the offensive pass interference penalty on the final play: “I mean, I don’t even want to get into it. Because it’s not going to change anything, we still lost. It’s – I mean look, you think you score, you don’t score, and then you think you’re going to have another play. Replay it or back it up, one more shot. And it doesn’t. And that’s just, I guess that’s the way it’s written in the rulebook. So that’s frustrating. But there again, it should never come to that. We had our opportunities. We weren’t able to put it in before that play.”
On why it was difficult to get the run game going: “Yeah, just couldn’t quite get it going, man. You know, made some hay in the pass game, (Lions QB Jared) Goff was in a good place, our receivers were making plays, that’s kind of where our explosives were showing up, and so, you know, went that route. And then we come out, and really in the third quarter we only had those three plays. And that was it for the third, and then we were down two scores. So, now you’re definitely throwing it. So, just didn’t make enough – certainly, I wish we could have run it more, I would love to run the ball a little bit more than that. A lot more than that. It just wasn’t one of those days.”
On the Steelers playing better today: “I can’t argue with that. Look, the ground game says it. I mean, they’re rushing. They rushed it, they had a lot more carries. And some of that was, you know, our defense was on the field for a while. And when you’re able to convert and stay on the field a while then you can kind of bounce from run to run to run, to play-pass, to – it just opens your offense up. And that’s what they’re able to do. And they can. You run a play, you get the look. You run the opposite of that and see how they respond, and then you get a look. And we just weren’t able to do it and they were. I can’t, they got after us. I mean, they rushed for over 200 yards. And only 15 for us.”
On if he agreed with the penalty on Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown on the final play: “I didn’t see it. I couldn’t even see. Man, I was looking at the protection, and (Lions QB Jared) Goff, and then I saw the catch.”
On St. Brown deciding to pitch the ball to Lions QB Jared Goff on the final play: “Yeah, it was a headsy play, man. He wasn’t down, and just to stay alive for the last play, man. That’s what (Lions WR Amon-Ra) Saint (Brown) is, he’s a freaking smart, instinctive player. Gave us one more shot, we thought, but it didn’t work out.”
On the explanation for the offensive pass interference call on Lions WR Isaac TeSlaa: “Just that. They said he, it was, you know, that it was OPI. He ran into the defensive back, or whoever it was. Which, I mean, there’s nothing you can do. They see what they see. And I didn’t see that one either, so I have no idea.”
On if he regrets not kicking a field goal early: “No.”
On how the substitutions on both sides of the ball have taken a toll on the team: “Well, I don’t – you know what, here’s the – you love having guys that are there every week, of course. Because you get used to it, and you build a rapport, and you’re all on the same page. But that’s – man, we’ve lived this for three years. We should be better than that, you know. We’ve got to get our guys ready. We can do better. Every team’s got injuries in this league. Most of them have some type of injuries. You’ve got an injury bug somewhere. And as coaches we’re charged with having those guys ready, make sure we’re on point. The substitutions, the whole thing, that’s what we’ve got to do. And I know this guy, (Steelers QB Aaron) Rodgers, is really good about messing with you on third downs and stuff. You know, they roll out, and see if you’re substituting, then he gets back on the ball. And we talked about it, we worked it this week, and they got us a couple times. But, you know, you’ve just got to have those guys ready, that are going to play for you, and then you try to help them with the call. As much as you can reduce the burden on them, and make calls that help them too, that’s what you’re trying to do.”
On where the team stands right now: “I mean, look. It’s frustrating. We just lost two in a row, you know. That’s the worst – I don’t know. I don’t know what all of this is or isn’t. I know we’ve got two left. And I just want to see us finish. I just want to finish, our style of football, with two to go, man. You know, and try to play four straight quarters of good football. Clean football. Efficient football. That’s what I want to do. And we’ve got a short week now. We’ve got Minnesota, we’re back in tomorrow. I’ve got to have a game plan ready for these guys and we’ve got to be ready to go out to Minneapolis and put it all together and execute.”
On how the diminishing playoff hopes will affect his message to the team: “Yeah, I mean kind of what I just said is what I told them. We’ve got two to go. I just, I want to see us play with our identity. With what we are and what we’re about. We’re big boys in this league, man. You pull your pants up and you go to work. And you can’t feel sorry for yourself. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting, it doesn’t feel bad. But we have nobody to blame but ourselves. It’s on us, and it’s also on us to finish. We’ve got two to go.”
On the lack of consistency in being able to string together four good quarters: “There’s a lot of errors, man, that have popped up. We’ve got some mental errors here or there, or a lack of self-discipline. And look, ultimately, I put that stuff on me, man. That’s on me. There’s no other way to cut it, other than it’s the head coach. So, you know. It’s on me, man.”
More from Detroit Lions OnSI
Detroit, MI
Lions fan says DK Metcalf swung at him after he used star’s full name
Jameson Williams talks touchdown celebration with Jahmyr Gibbs
Williams also said that Lions OC John Morton, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the 1993 NFL Combine, could not have beaten him in a race
Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver DK Metcalf took a swing at a Detroit Lions fan at the game at Ford Field on Sunday, Dec. 21.
In the second quarter, CBS cameras caught Metcalf getting into an altercation with a Lions fan holding some Steelers attire while hanging over the ledge.
It’s not clear what led up to the incident, but Metcalf eventually threw a punch in the direction of the Lions fan. It wasn’t a direct hit, but there was some contact.
The Free Press tracked down the fan in the stands, who said he was “a little shocked. Like everyone’s talking to me. I’m a little rattled, but I just want the Lions to win, baby.”
“My words don’t matter because it was on camera,” they added.
When initially asked what his name was, the fan said, “My name is ‘Biggest Detroit Lions Fan Ever that got attacked by DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf.’”
After getting further pressed, the fan said his name was Ryan Kennedy and that he’s from Pinckney, Michigan.
“What, my full name isn’t is DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf,” Kennedy said. “He doesn’t like his government name. I called him that and then he grabbed me and ripped my shirt. I’m a little shocked. Like everyone’s talking to me. I’m a little rattled, but I just want the Lions to win, baby.”
The fan was not thrown out of the game, per the Lions. Lions officials talked to him about the incident.
The NFL said in a statement it cannot intervene for an ejection of Metcalf.
“There was no flag on the field, so New York cannot weigh in with regard to a potential disqualification,” the NFL said in the statement.
CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson was watching the area when the incident happened.
“He came over because the fan in the stands was holding a ‘4’ Pittsburgh jersey, he went over and the fan said something to him,” Wolfson said on the broadcast. “Obviously, Metcalf did not like what he said and you saw the swipe there. No Steelers came over to him and mentioned anything, we’ll see if the league takes action, guys.”
After the Lions scored a touchdown in the second quarter, CBS rules official Gene Steratore said referees can’t do anything to remove Metcalf from the game or penalize him.
It’ll be “delivered to compliance,” which could potentially suspend or fine him in the future.
Free Press Lions reporter Dave Birkett contributed to this reporting.
Andrew Birkle is an assistant sports editor for the Free Press. Contact him via email at abirkle@freepress.com.
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