Birmingham Police Arrest 'Parking Meter Bandits'

BIRMINGHAM (WWJ) - Two people from Jackson are under arrest in Birmingham, accused of stealing change from city parking meters.

Police say 41-year-old Tracey O'Neill and 33-year-old Corey Slattery were arraigned Tuesday on charges of larceny from a coin operated device, a three-year felony.

The arrests are a result of a covert surveillance operation Birmingham police began after learning that meter revenue had dropped off over the past three months, by nearly $1,000.

Police say around 5:30 a.m. Monday, Slattery dropped O'Neill off near Purdy and Daines streets before slowly circling the area and parking on S. Old Woodward. Officers watched as O'Neill approached a parking meter and emptied its contents, before walking in the direction of Slattery's parked car.

Police intercepted O'Neill before she was able to reach the car and found that she had a homemade device that was used to catch the coins as they came out of the parking meter, along with $3.20 in change. Police also found a fabricated key they say O'Neill used to access the parking meter.

Other officers on the scene arrested Slattery as he sat in his car with O'Neill's 19-month-old grandchild. Child Protective Services was contacted and the child was turned over to his biological father.