Businesses Burglarized Over New Year's

Burglaries committed over the New Year’s holiday were discovered Wednesday at three Wauwatosa businesses, two of them in the same office building at 9800 Blue Mound Rd.

The owner of The Travel Gallery arrived Wednesday morning to find deep pry marks on his door and called police. The door was shut and locked, but both a deadbolt and the doorknob lock were so badly damaged they couldn't be opened.

After detectives photographed and processed evidence from the outside, the owner pried the damaged door open to find burglars had gotten in and pulled the door shut behind them, engaging the latch.

The office thoroughly rifled, but nothing was missing. The owner said he had locked up at 2 p.m. New Year’s Eve.

A similar break-in occurred at the Preferred Home Health Services, in the same building, where the door was forced open and cabinets and drawers throughout the office had been pried into, causing extensive damage. A small amount of petty cash was stolen there.

Wauwatosa police found no sign of forced entry to any of the outer doors to the building

Also, an employee of Relaxation Station, 1109 N. Mayfair Rd., reported Wednesday morning that overnight someone had broken in the front door of the business and entered, but nothing was found missing.

Police found the door had been kicked in, wrecking the deadbolt and frame. The office has an audible burglar alarm installed, officers said, but the owner told them she doesn’t know to set it, so it wasn’t active.