PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Melvin Francis Sroufe, the man who held a knife to a 7-year-old girl's throat during a robbery, has turned himself into Pittsfield Township police Monday evening.
He is now in custody at Washtenaw County Jail, pending review of charges.
The robbery happened at a parking lot on Carpenter Road on Sunday afternoon.
According to police, 57-year-old Melvin Sroufe approached a 35-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter, both from Ypsilanti Township, as they put groceries into their car.
Police say Sroufe grabbed the child and "placed a large knife to the girl's throat" while demanding the mother get into her vehicle or he would kill her daughter.
Witnesses began yelling at the suspect, and the victims were able to flee unharmed.
According to police, Sroufe grabbed the victim's wallet from the shopping cart and took off on foot. Police and a K9 were able to track the suspect and recover evidence from him and his property.
Sroufe has a scar on his chin, face and left shoulder, and tattoos on his arm, chin, forehead, left arm, left forearm, left shoulder, right arm, right forearm, upper left chest and has a criminal history that includes home invasion and other crimes.
