FERNDALE, Mich. – A former manager at Rosie O'Grady's bar in Ferndale was arrested Sunday after he broke into the bar to steal money from a safe and tried to bribe the janitor to stay silent about the crime, police said.
Police said Timothy Martin, 38, of Willis Village, Michigan, left employment of the bar about a month ago. He returned to the bar around 6:30 a.m. Sunday and broke into the side entrance, police said.
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Martin broke in with the intent of stealing money from the safe, officials said. He knew the combination of the safe, which hadn't changed since he worked there, they said.
When Martin broke into the building, he was surprised to find the janitor inside, police said. He is accused of trying to bribe the janitor to be silent by giving him $2,000 of the $25,000 stolen from the safe.
Police said Martin also stole the security video systems before leaving the store.
When the current manager of the bar arrived about two hours later, the janitor gave him the $2,000 and told him what had happened, police said.
Rosie O'Grady's staff called Ferndale police. Officers said surveillance video from city cameras confirmed the janitor's story.
Martin was arrested and arraigned. He was released on $50,000 bail.
The remaining stolen money has not been recovered, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Ferndale police at 248-541-3650 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.