DUNDEE, Mich. (FOX 2) - It looked like a late-night food delivery but police say it was an elaborate scheme to get alone with the cash drawer.
Just before midnight Sunday at the Hampton Inn and Suites next to Cabella's in Dundee, an apparent DoorDash driver walked in to make a delivery.
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Minutes later he comes back to the clerk saying there is a guest unconscious in the hallway of the fourth floor.
"The lone employee, the desk clerk, went to check on that while the delivery driver left or appeared to leave," said Sgt. Randy Sehl, Dundee Police Department.
But he didn't leave for good. On security video, watch as the same man returned to a now-empty lobby.
"The delivery driver had taken off his mask and put away his DoorDash bag and came back in and helped himself to $275 cash," Sehl said.
Meanwhile, on the fourth floor, there was no unconscious man. The night clerk came back to see the empty cash drawer, reviewed the security footage, and called police.
While Dundee police were busy investigating the theft at the Hampton Inn, they learned of a similar crime happening the same night in nearby Monroe.
"Two in the same night seems pretty peculiar," said Sehl.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office confirmed they are investigating a similar crime but could not provide any specifics Tuesday night.
As for the thief, the police have some good images of him and his car. They are confident he was not on a food delivery at the time as DoorDash does not operate in Dundee.
"He was just able to find and use the bag and the look, to get into the hotel and make it look like he was there legitimately," Sehl said.
The general manager at the Hampton Inn didn't want to comment on the crime, but police did say they have made changes to ensure they don't fall for this scam again. Meanwhile, police continue to search for the suspect.