Crime Stoppers Tip Leads Police to Armed Robbery Suspect

Rookie officer played a long hunch and won

Huff and Goss are accused of walking into the Open Pantry just before 6 a.m., with Huff acting as a lookout at the door while Goss pulled a gun on the lone employee and demanded, “Give me your money.”

They got an undisclosed amount of cash from one register and left after the victim told them he couldn't open the safe.

There was no silent alarm in the store, and the victim did not see any vehicle.

A rookie Wauwatosa police officer, on the job just six months, was assigned to do a neighborhood canvass to see if anyone had seen anything. A resident of 115th Street told him she'd seen a man – she noticed only one – hurrying back to a newer white sedan that had been parked on her street for five or 10 minutes.

With a hunch that was the car and at least one of the robbers, the officer took a real longshot that paid off in big dividends. Knowing robbers often case other similar businesses in an area before choosing the most vulnerable, he drove nine blocks west to another Open Pantry at 12324 W. North Ave.

Sure enough, the manager there told him a new white sedan had pulled in that morning, and a man matching Goss' description had gotten out and bought some gas. The manager had written down the license number because at first he feared the men were going to drive off without paying.

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The next night, Milwaukee police spotted the car, matched the plate, and took in two men who came out of a tavern to the auto. Neither resembled Huff or Goss, but one of them knew and named them, and said he'd unwittingly driven them to both Open Pantry stores the morning of July 8.

With names and previous booking photos to go with security video of the crime, police were able to get positive identifications from the victim, the other store manager, and from a number of relatives and associates of Goss and Huff. Goss' own mother gave police an emphatic positive ID.

Goss was quickly found and arrested, but Huff could not be found. He was described by those who knew him as essentially indigent, staying from place to place but mostly living out of his car, a black Monte Carlo.

Your call is welcome

Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers takes tips at 414-771-8672 and offers rewards of up to $1,000 to individuals who provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects in serious crimes. Tips can be anonymous and are confidential.

People with crime information can also call the Wauwatosa Police Investigative Bureau at 414-471-8430.