Stripped Mall – Macy's Mannequin Disrobed in Theft, Police Say
Teenager sees the perfect look on an inanimate model at Mayfair and decides to make his last selection by leaving it naked, according to security guard's account.
It's so important when shopping to know that the clothes you select are going to fit right and look good on you – that's what fitting rooms and mirrors are for.
Or, if you're in rather a hurry, maybe that's what mannequins are for.
A teenager who had already surreptitiously bagged a few items Monday at Macy's in Mayfair Mall grew bold as he concluded his browsing, when he stripped a vest and shirt off a mannequin and headed for the door, according to a police report.
The 17-year-old Milwaukee boy was arrested after a Macy's security officer, who had been watching him from the beginning, stopped him just outside and escorted him back in to await Wauwatosa police.
Just before 5:30 p.m., the security guard, monitoring store cameras, noticed the boy acting furtively and decided to track him, she told police.
First, the boy took a T-shirt from a clearance display over to a brand name section and set it carefully on top of a neat stack of shirts there — which the watching agent thought strange. He wandered off briefly, then returned and together picked up the clearance shirt and one beneath it and stuck them both in a bag, crouching down to try to avoid being seen.
He now had the guard's full attention as he went to another section, took a pair of black pajama pants off a shelf and put them in the bag.
And finally, to the amazement of the watching officer, he walked up to a mannequin that had a Polo shirt and vest on it, took them off the mannequin and bagged them, too.
The boy headed for an exit but was detained the moment he stepped out. According to the police report, he was cooperative and compliant as he was taken to the loss-prevention office.
The $426.50 worth of clothing he had tried to snag was undamaged and returned to the store for sale.
The boy made no statement, and after he was booked in the Mayfair booking room, police asked for his mother's phone number. He gave them a number, which they called several times with no answer. Eventually, a man picked up and said, "Who the (expletive) is this?" When told it was the Wauwatosa police, he hung up.
Because the boy was also now banned from the mall, the arresting officer walked him out of the mall to the county bus stop and warned him not to return — and to please have his mother call them when he got home.
In This article
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Macy's
2500 N Mayfair Rd, Wauwatosa, WI -
Mayfair Mall
2500 N Mayfair Rd, Wauwatosa, WI
Michael
9:56 am on Saturday, November 17, 2012
I'm sure she'll call.
paul hruz
4:44 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
Should have kept him till someone came to pick him up
acroyear
11:01 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
"Mom" is in prison for drug abuse. "Dad" is either dead from a drive-by or an o.d. Or inseminating other baby mommas. "Milwaukee youth" is living with "Gramma" who, incidentally, is 44 years old. KEEP IT REAL. Gnomesayin'?
lolo peeg
6:50 am on Monday, November 19, 2012
Should have thrown the kid into the hoosegow until his mother picked him up. The stupidity of the kid is only exceeded by that of the police.
D. Schmitz
1:10 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
He will not tell his Mom, because she would not care. You know this is sad because he needs help. He will be 18 soon then it is jail not a bus trip.
Jim Price
3:47 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
Actually, all 17-year-olds are treated as adults in the Wisconsin Criminal Justice System, and he wouldn't have gone to jail even if he were older. I failed to mention in the story that he was ticketed. Retail theft is treated as a municipal violation up to a certain amount of property value – I think he would have been just under a $500 limit – and as long as you don't have a record as a habitual offender. Even at the point it becomes a criminal misdemeanor, he'd still probably be given a court date rather than being sent downtown for stealing shirts.
Terri#1
3:03 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
Two dummies: one human, one not!
sara jones
5:25 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
slap on the wrist ? hmmmm he was old enough to know better....should have held him until his parents picked him up.
Jim Price
5:44 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
The Tosa police have more pressing business than babysitting a 17-year-old shoplifter until he's picked up by a parent who won't pick up the phone. They'd be running a daycare center if they did that.
Benedons, Inc
8:43 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
What is "more pressing business" in Wauwatosa? According to Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers, the big crime of the week is vandalism at the Fisher building at 122nd and North. There's too much of this at Mayfair and one way to stop it is to be a bit more diligent in prosecuting these seemingly petty crimes. If he gets away with a slap on the wrist, he won't understand the eventual consequences of his actions for the next crime. Eventually, he'll become another burden on society costing us $40,000 to house him in jail or not. By down-playing the enormity of the larger scope of this, the police exacerbate the situation. This kid will be bragging to his buddies how he got away with just a ticket, because in Wauwatosa, you just get let go if you steal under $500. Next thing you know, they go out and try it, too. In the end, I agree with most of the posters. We have to 'care' more.
Jim Price
9:30 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
You and others who are calling for more stringent penalties may well be right, but you're pointing your fingers the wrong way. Police departments are bound by the criminal justice statutes. They can't throw people in the county jail for municipal violations, they aren't allowed to under the law. If they sent them downtown, Milwaukee County would just send them back, with a reprimand. Talk to your elected lawmakers about making shoplifting a criminal offense with mandatory jail time. They will tell you that there is not room in the jails and prisons as it is. Tell them to build more jails and prisons. They will tell you that will cost you, the taxpayer, a fortune. The argument goes on and on, but in this particular debate, the police are not at fault. They do not make the laws, they enforce them.
Billy Tank
9:51 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Mayfair . . . The next Northridge.
Jim Price
10:20 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Not a chance, Billy. There is a waiting list of stores wanting to get into Mayfair, still the busiest retail center in the state. Crime at Mayfair is way down since they instituted the Parental Guidance Rule. Lego, a family-oriented company, was thrilled to get a store there. And retail developers are eagerly snapping up properties farther north, at Burleigh, to reap the benefits of the Mayfair magnet.
John Q. Public
12:56 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
@Jim Price -
I enjoyed your measured and rational responses to some of the comments about your article. It's unfortunate that you have to spend your time replying to some posts that are completely untethered from truth and reality. Good thing it wasn't a purely political article or you could spend the better part of your day replying!
Jim Price
6:26 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
@John Q. Public – If it were a political story, I wouldn't even go near trying to control or correct the factual matter in comments – it would be a full-time job until I was tarred and feathered and ridden on a rail by one side or both. It's all anybody can do on those threads to moderate the vile slanders and eruptions of profanity.