LAKE ORION, Mich. (WXYZ) — An Oxford Township man has been charged in the theft of a restaurant worker's purse and cash in Lake Orion.
Leonza Lafayette Tipton III, 48, was arraigned Wednesday in Rochester Hills. He is charged with one count of larceny in a building, and one count of defrauding an innkeeper.
Tipton is accused of dining and dashing at Sagebrush Cantina in Lake Orion. He is also accused of stealing the purse of a worker as she was finishing her shift. He allegedly took her purse into a restroom at the restaurant and took her cash. He then left the location without paying.
Shortly after the crime was reported on news outlets, police say Tipton contact the dispatch center asking why his photo was "plastered all over the news." Police followed up by visiting his home, but there was no answer. Investigators also left voice messages for Tipton.
On Tuesday, Oct. 29, police say Tipton later turned himself in to authorities and admitted to the crimes.
