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Nicholas Moncivais
Brittany Awadish
SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Shelby Township police arrested two suspects who were allegedly breaking into homes in the township while residents were away.
On Feb. 2, Shelby Township police were called to the scene of a home invasion. The investigation was turned over to the Special Investigations Unit. SIU began an in-depth search of Ring cameras and other security video provided by residents in the area and was able to establish a description of a suspect.
Detectives then learned through social media channels that this suspect was targeting homes of members of the Chaldean community when the residents were out of town or attending social gatherings. After more investigation, police said they identified two suspects. Detectives reportedly tied one suspect, Nicholas Moncivais, to five different home invasions in the area — three in Shelby Township, one in Sterling Heights and one in Clinton Township.
A second suspect was identified as the driver of the vehicle involved in all these incidents, Brittany Awadish. SIU detectives arrested both suspects, Moncivais, 38, and Awadish, 33, from Shelby Township, on arrest warrants March 11. A search warrant was served on their residence, where police said they found several items of clothing that further tied them to the multiple home invasions.
On March 12, Moncivais and Awadish were arraigned on charges at the 41-A District Court in front of Magistrate James A. VerPloeg. Moncivais faces two counts of second-degree home invasion and two counts of third-degree home invasion. Moncivais was given a bond of $500,000 cash or surety.
Awadish faces two counts of second-degree home invasion and one count of third-degree home invasion. Awadish was given a bond of $250,000 cash or surety
Shelby Township Chief of Police Robert J. Shelide commented on the case in a prepared statement.
“To those who choose to break the law in Shelby Township: You are not welcome here. Our officers are dedicated, vigilant and always ready. If you think you can hide, think again because in Shelby Township, criminals are not safe. You will find yourself behind bars,” he said.
The next court date is April 28 at 9 a.m. for scheduled for Probable Cause Conference. Nicholas Moncivais attorney Elisha M. Oakes did not respond. Awadish’s attorney is Thomas C. Rombach.
Sgt. Kevin Bailey, of the Shelby Township Police Department, said there is no indication that the suspects were looking for anything specific. They allegedly would go on social media and see when people would post that they were going out of town or out to a party.
“One thing I would stress is not to post vacation plans or plans to be leaving the house for a long period of time. It is always recommended to have some type of cameras inside and outside the home. With technology being cheap, it is easy to have high-quality cameras for cheap,” he said.
He commended those investigating the case and their results.
“To go into someone’s home can be so violating to that person. So, to any criminal that is thinking about breaking the law in Shelby Township, they need to think again. This is one of the best-trained departments and we are willing to go the extra mile to get these criminals in custody and behind bars,” he said.
