Liquor Store Burglar Makes Off with 18 Bottles

A burglar went to great lengths to break in to a Wauwatosa liquor store to make off with a haul of booze and some smokes, and police suspect it was in some form an inside job.

At 9:04 a.m. Wednesday, police were called to Mayfair Liquor Mart, 3122 N. Mayfair Rd., on the burglary complaint.

The owner told officers he had arrived at his store a little earlier and saw that a side window had been broken out and there were empty soda cases stacked under it. The store’s alarm system was armed but had not been tripped.

Officers determined that the burglar had ripped away the screen and smashed the window with a hammer found on the ground outside. Then he crawled through and clambered down the shelving, knocking off bottles of liquor and also upsetting a display of chewing tobacco.

Missing were 18 bottles of champagne, cognac and vodka, three packs of cigarettes and one box of cigars, and with one more bottle of vodka broken on the floor, the owner’s loss came to $1,636 retail value.

Police believe the burglar must have been very familiar with the store’s layout and alarm system, because the small window was not alarmed and is in an area of the store not covered by video cameras. He would have had to go to considerable effort to remove all the stolen goods and then make his escape back through the window, but by doing so he was able to avoid detection.

Even though the burglar targeted shelves behind the checkout counter, he appeared to have made no effort to break into the cash register or locate hidden cash drawers – leading to the belief that he knew he wouldn't find anything or he knew he would step into the view of cameras if he tried.

Besides the hammer, officers found a latex glove discarded outside.