Police Make Headway in Rash of Break-ins, Arresting 2 Suspects

Police caught up to two suspects in one burglary when a citizen called in with suspicions of another being planned, possibly making progress against a recent spike in home break-ins.

In another burglary, police have some evidence after footprints, possible fingerprints and tape were left at the scene.

The two incidents were far apart and there was no indication police believed they were related.

According to Wauwatosa police reports:

Roommates living in the 2300 block of North 68th Street reported that between 2:30 p.m. Thursday and 1:55 p.m. Friday someone broke in and stole electronics including a TV and a laptop computer.

They came home to find the kitchen window smashed in and the side door open. The entire home had been rummaged through, including dresser drawers and even under mattresses, but it appeared that only the electronics were missing.

Officers on that case then learned that two suspects arrested earlier Friday for prowling were found to have two iPods taken in the burglary.

At 11 a.m., police had been called to 2100 block of North 68th Street by a woman who saw two men walking into the back yard of a residence. Another neighbor reported the men had come to his back door and rung the doorbell several times but when he answered they asked for someone by name and then left, saying they had the wrong house.

The officer responding noted that he and all squads were on the lookout for just that sort of activity because of a rash of daylight burglaries in the city.

Two Milwaukee men, one 19 and one 20, were arrested after questioning because they had no identification. When searched, one of the men had in his pocket an iPod that belonged to one of the roommates from the burglary discovered later. That report did not mention the second iPod.

The younger man had been convicted in separate cases in 2012 — for auto theft, for which he was sentenced to nine months in jail, and for burglary, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison. In each case the sentences were stayed and he was put on probation. The burglary conviction came just in December.

The 20-year-old has an open case of burglary, filed in December.

Crook gets in but no further than the basement

A resident of the 4500 block of North Delco Avenue reported at 3 p.m. Saturday that some time since Thursday someone had entered her home by breaking a basement window.

She told officers she first noticed that someone had tried to jimmy the lock on the door between her garage and back patio room. Looking further, she discovered the broken window.

Blue painter’s tape had been applied to the window to muffle the breakage, and there was evidence the burglar or burglars had climbed in by stepping down a shelving unit below the window.

However, the inside basement door was locked and undamaged, so the burglars were confined to the basement, and nothing appeared to have been taken.

One neighbor reported he heard a crash at about 3:41 a.m. and got up, but saw nothing and did not report it.

Another neighbor called police later to say that someone had also been prowling about his home. He found a trash can missing and muddy footprints on his patio, and later found the trash can tossed in some bushes at the home of the burglary victim.