Police Report: Cashier Takes Target for a Ride with Unauthorized Specials

Police arrested an employee of Target when shown evidence Tuesday that the 24-year-old Milwaukee woman had over a period of about three weeks helped accomplices steal $1,982.63 worth of merchandise by scanning items at far below their actual value.

Her accomplices would remove stickers with scanner codes from Yankee Candles selling for $1.99 and place them on other goods. In one case, a “customer” paid $2.02 for $346.04 worth of merchandise. The largest single loss was when the accomplices were able to leave with $625.89 worth of goods having paid just $31.54.

The cashier was recorded on video eight times making such transactions. After police arrested her, she first said she was unaware the stickers had been switched, but when police asked her if she really thought it was possible that a person could purchase numerous and obviously valuable items and pay only $2, she admitted she was involved with several other people, but she would not name them.

She was given a municipal citation for retail theft-party to a crime with a fine set at $681 and was taken to a bus stop.

In other incidents:

Thursday

Four incidents of entry into vehicles were reported: Three cars at Luther Manor, 4545 N. 92nd St., all owned by employees, were forcibly broken in to some time between 6:35 and 9:15 a.m. From one, thieves stole a GPS unit and ransacked everything that could be reached through the shattered passenger window, including the owner’s wallet, which was found discarded in a nearby window well minus the owner’s cash. In the second, the driver’s window was broken and the car stereo and a wallet were stolen. From the third, a GPS unit, a pair of designer sunglasses and a cloth laundry bag were missing after the driver’s window was shattered. The laundry bag was found discarded on a lawn. No details were yet available on the fourth incident, but it occurred some distance away, in the 100 block of Glenview Avenue.

At 2:44 a.m., a Milwaukee man who had been out celebrating his 21st birthday started a fight at the restaurant at 6108 W. Blue Mound Rd. after patrons asked him to stop his loud and profane ranting. One patron was slightly injured with a small cut to his elbow. The Milwaukee man was uncooperative with police and was arrested for disorderly conduct. A breath test showed him to be highly intoxicated, with a blood alcohol content of .182.

Wednesday

A resident of the 6400 block of Upper Parkway North in the Washington Highlands reported that his car had been stolen from his driveway. The owner said the car had been locked. Police found no broken glass or other evidence at the scene. The owner said it was the second time the same car, a rusty 1992 Toyota Camry, had been stolen.

A resident of the 6500 block of Washington Circle reported that some time since Aug. 18 someone had entered his open garage and stolen a bicycle worth $950.

A resident of the 2600 block of North 90th St. reported that someone had entered his unlocked car in his driveway and stolen a GPS unit and $10 in change.

A resident of the 2400 block of North 93rd Street reported that someone had entered her unlocked car in her driveway, but nothing was missing.

A resident of the 9200 block of Harding Boulevard reported that some time overnight someone had entered her home through the unlocked back door and stolen her purse, with her iPhone in it, and an iPod from the kitchen. Nothing else was disturbed.

Two known and one unknown subjects were being sought after a review of video footage from Aug. 17 and 20 showed them stealing 25 cans of baby formula worth $374.75 from , 6950 W. State St.

Tuesday

At 7 p.m., a 37-year-old Milwaukee woman with a long history of retail theft was arrested again when she tried to steal two shirts worth $50 from the  store in Mayfair Mall.

At 4:12 p.m., an employee of Target, 3900 N. 124th St., reported that he had seen four women concealing a large amount of clothing, bedding items and liquor and heading for the exit. When he tried to stop one of the women, another pushed him away and all four escaped. He was able to get the license number of the car they left in, which is registered to a Milwaukee woman.

Monday

At 7:14 p.m., a 25-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for driving while incapacitated after another driver reported seeing him driving recklessly and erratically on Wauwatosa Avenue. Officers found the car stalled in the 2200 block of the street and suspected him of being intoxicated, seeing as there was an open can of beer in the car. The man performed very poorly on a sobriety test but then blew a clean .00 BAC on a breath test. He then said he had taken a double dose of anxiety medicine after skipping any dosage for six days. He said he had doubled the dose on the advice of his doctor.

A Gladstone, MI, man reported that a 53-foot trailer had been stolen from the parking lot of the former Total Logistics Control at 11400 W. Burleigh St. The man said that the trailer was loaded with about $100,000 worth of antifreeze and windshield washer fluid. The trailer itself is worth about $20,000.

The manager of Shaw’s Jewelers in Mayfair Mall reported the store was missing an engagement ring worth $4,799. It was gone from a safe and the manager said she suspected a recently fired employee.

The , 2365 N. Mayfair Rd., reported the loss of $3,896 to a wire fraud.

A 30-year-old Wauwatosa woman was arrested for battery and a 41-year-old Wauwatosa man was arrested for possession of cocaine during an investigation of a domestic disturbance in the 1800 block of North 70th Street.