In October of 1988, Philip Carlock, a recovering “sexaholic” turned himself in to the Ann Arbor Police Department for a rape which he had committed in 1971. Carlock told detectives he was attending a sexaholic support group and this group encouraged him to take responsibility for his actions.

In May of 1988, Carlock phoned Detective Mark Parin to tell him of his involvement in the incident. Det. Parin then had to find the victim, who had since moved to Florida. Det. Parin had trouble finding the victim but finally did after discovering her maiden name was the same as a well-known federal prosecutor. Det. Parin called the prosecutor by chance to see if the victim was related to him and found that the victim was in the fact the prosecutor's sister. He said the crime “devastated the whole family.” Carlock was then extradited from Seattle, Washington, where he worked as a computer specialist for Boeing.

In an interesting sidenote, it's believed that Carlock did not know he could be prosecuted for the crime. The statute of limitations had not expired as he had fled the venue of the crime. When the detectives went to Seattle to pick him up, they advised him that he would be prosecuted for the crime. On the advice of his attorney he then would only state that he only “made a call to the Ann Arbor Police Department.”

Special Problems Unit

During the summer of 1988, the downtown area was home to over 100 assaults, some of them extremely serious. These assaults were done by gangs of youth who were literally running wild, assaulting and robbing people. The situation was so bad that even local politicians voiced their support for the police department and any effort that could be taken to eliminate the problem.

These gangs of youth sometimes numbered over 20 and would approach a lone victim, beat them up and rob them. “It's not a case of just punching a guy in the face,” said Lt. Dale Heath. Once he goes down they just keep kicking him.” These youths would hang out on the street corners near Liberty and Maynard and also on the Diag. They would wait for the area to clear of police then pounce on their victims.

City Council demanded a report on the problem and Deputy Chief Lunsford completed this task. In it he stated the incidents are “a planned, almost gang-like activity. The youths are far more bolder and confrontational in groups of 10 to 15.” He also stated there had been several incidents where shots had been fired in the downtown area.

Chief Corbett called for the hiring of more officers but this request was not approved. Eventually a five officer special problems unit was formed and they were strictly used for the handling and aggressive enforcement of the downtown problems. This unit was very successful and the problems downtown soon subsided.

Baby Kidnapped from Hospital

On November 25, 1988, a 2-month old baby was kidnapped from Mott's Children's Hospital. The infant and her twin brother were in the hospital for respiratory problems. Police dispatch received a 911 call from the hospital to report the infant missing and presumed kidnapped. Patrol officers searched the hospital and surrounding area for the infant but could not locate the baby or any suspects.

Officer Steve Johnson made contact with the floor nurse and he was advised that the baby was in its crib when the nurse left to attend other children. At 6:35 p.m., the infant's monitor sounded and the nurse went into the room to check on the baby and found her missing. The nurse ran up and down the hallway and checked the elevators, but could not locate the baby. It was later found the monitor had been unplugged from the wall.

Thinking the mother may have taken the child, Officer Johnson asked if the nurse knew where the mother was. The nurse believed she had stepped out of the hospital and Officer Johnson phoned the residence of the mother but was unable to contact her.

Officer Johnson interviewed hospital staff. A security guard told Officer Johnson the mother approached him on November 22 as she observed two subjects staring at her babies through the nursery room window. She confronted the pair who stated they were at the hospital to see the mother of the babies. The mother then thought they may have been friends of the father of the children and asked if they knew him. Both stated they did not and the mother called hospital security. When security arrived they found the mysterious pair gone. Its believed the pair observed the mother's name on the babie's bassinet.

The mother was located and initially thought the father of the children, the two were not married, may have had something to do with the missing baby. Investigation later revealed that the father was not involved in the kidnapping, nor was the mother.

Having ruled out the mother and father as suspects, detectives had little to work with other than the description of the woman who was seen looking at the twins through the nursery window. A lucky tip did provide the detectives with the break they were looking for.

On November 26, a female called the detective division to report what she believed to be a possible suspect in the kidnapping. She stated on the night of November 25, she was in a Howell bar, when a woman she knew came into it carrying a baby. She was told this woman, later identified as Sharon Newkirk, had just had the baby. The tipster did not think Newkirk was pregnant and had seen the news telecasts of the kidnapped child. She then called thinking Newkirk was responsible for the kidnapping and the baby she had was in fact the missing one.

The detectives immediately began investigating this tip, first calling McPherson Hospital in Howell, as the tipster was told Newkirk had the baby there. Personnel at the hospital told the detectives that no one by the name of Newkirk was registered as having a baby there recently.

The detectives then believed that Newkirk was in fact the one who kidnapped the baby and drove to her residence in Howell. With assistance from the Livingston County Sheriff's Department and the Howell Police Department, they went to the Newkirk home but no one was there.

Entering the home they searched for evidence of the baby and while doing so a car pulled into the Newkirk driveway. In this vehicle was Newkirk, her husband and the baby. Officers surrounded the vehicle and ordered the two out. Newkirk was asked if the baby inside was hers and she would not respond. From a photo the detectives confirmed the baby in the vehicle was in fact the missing baby. Newkirk and her husband were then placed under arrest. Detectives searched Newkirk's purse and found a false birth certificate and white out.

Newkirk would later give a full confession to the crime. She stated she had entered the baby's room, unhooked the monitor, placed the baby under a sweater and walked out of the hospital.

Newkirk's husband was interviewed and he denied any involvement with the kidnapping. He stated that he had been dropped off at a Howell bar on November 25 by his wife. She came back to the bar three hours later and stated, “Honey, I'm sorry its not a boy, it's a girl.” He believed his wife had gone to the hospital, gave birth to the baby and returned three hours later. He had hoped to name the baby, Harley Davidson Newkirk.

As bizarre as his statement was, it was in fact accurate as to his involvement with the kidnapping. He was under the impression that his wife was pregnant and had gone to numerous doctor appointments with her. He was cleared of any involvement and was not charged with any crime.

Mrs. Newkirk was charged with the incident. The kidnapping itself led to a total security review of the nursery area of the hospital. The baby did not suffer any injuries as a result of the kidnapping and was returned to the mother after a short hospital stay.