Crime & Safety

Police Report: Car Thieves Strike Within Blocks Along North 114th Street

Cars were targeted for theft in one Wauwatosa neighborhood and broken into in another.

Car thieves struck twice early Saturday morning in the same neighborhood, and in one case entered a home and found the keys to the vehicle while the residents slept.

Residents in the area of North 114th Street might want to be extra careful and watchful of their homes and automobiles in case that area is being targeted.

There were also a couple of incidents of cars being broken into in another neighborhood around 68th Street and North Avenue. These events may or may not be related, but again, watchfulness is warranted.

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Nearby burglary and car thefts

At 6:45 a.m. Saturday, a Wauwatosa resident reported that his home in the 11400 block of West Garfield Avenue had been burglarized sometime since 9 p.m. the night before. The burglar found the keys to owner’s car, a 1998 GMC Sierra, and drove off with it.

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Thieves also attempted to steal another car belonging to the same homeowner’s daughter. The car was found about 100 feet down the street. Police determined that someone had hotwired the car but apparently couldn’t keep it running.

The homeowner told officers he had left a door unlocked for his daughter but thought he had heard her bolt it when she came in. However, no signs of forced entry were found, so the police recorded it as an entry through an unlocked door.

Also Saturday, at 2 a.m., a resident of the 2000 block of North 114th Street reported that someone tried to steal his car while it was parked in his driveway. It had rolled down the driveway, and when he checked he found the steering column damaged and he could not start the car.

Burglary elsewhere

At 9:24 p.m. Friday, residents of the 2400 block of North Harding Boulevard reported that the home had been burglarized and jewelry worth $750 to $1,000 was stolen sometime between 11 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. that day. The couple had left the house unlocked so their daughter could come by and walk their dog. They noticed later that evening that the items were missing. There was no sign of forced entry, so police logged it as an entry through an unlocked door.

Cars broken into

At 4:20 p.m. Saturday, the owner of a vehicle that had been parked in a parking lot in the 6600 block of North Avenue reported that someone had smashed a window and stolen an iPod adapter worth $25. Damage to the vehicle was $200.

At 8:45 a.m. Saturday, a resident not far away, in the 2200 block of North 69th Street, reported that sometime since 9:30 p.m. the night before, someone had broken out two windows of his parked car. Damage was estimated at $500.

Drunken driving

At 3:23 a.m. Sunday, police arrested a 23-year-old Milwaukee man for operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol after they responded to a call about a man parked in front of a residence and playing his stereo loudly in the 6000 block of Washington Boulevard. The driver had parked on the wrong side of the street and claimed his car was broken down. But his slurred speech and the odor of alcohol alerted the officer that there was more than a burned-out clutch involved.

At 2:22 a.m. Saturday, a 57-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested in the 7700 block of West Blue Mound Road after police followed him about 10 blocks and observed the driver weaving in and out of lanes and traveling 5 mph below the speed limit. The driver failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for his first offense, OWI.

Other incidents

Sunday

At 1:38 a.m., a 22-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested after a traffic stop in the 4700 block of North 117th Street for having a suspended registration. She was wanted on an outstanding warrant from the Greendale Police Department for operating after suspension. A records check showed that the woman had a temporary injunction against the male passenger in her car, although it had not yet been served. The Wauwatosa police obtained a copy of the injunction and served it, then released the driver after she posted bail.

At 5:47 p.m., a Wauwatosa police officer responding to an in-progress narcotics call rear-ended another car at North Avenue and 95th Street. The car that was struck was then pushed into another car in front of it. The officer said she was looking for the residential address of the call when she ran into the back of the car in front of her. She and the driver of the first car were unhurt; the driver and a passenger in the second car complained of shoulder stiffness but did not seek medical attention. The squad car sustained moderate damage to the hood, push bar, grill and front fascia. The other cars sustained minor damage to their bumpers.

At 11:54 a.m., a 41-year-old Mequon man was arrested for retail theft at Macy’s at Mayfair Mall when a loss prevention employee saw him on closed-circuit TV take 13 items into a fitting room and come out with only seven. The man was also recognized as a suspect in an earlier theft from the store. Two items were found in the fitting room. The man was stopped and searched and the other four items, two pairs of jeans and two T-shirts, were found stuffed down the man’s pants. He was also found to be under supervision of the Department of Community Corrections, and he was turned over turned over to county criminal justice authorities.

Saturday

At 11:21 p.m., a 32-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested on an outstanding state warrant for a parole violation when he was found sleeping in his truck at the at 115 N. Mayfair Rd. The man’s driver’s license had also been revoked and his truck’s license plates were not associated with that vehicle. He was taken to the County Criminal Justice Center.

At 8:38 p.m., a 39-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested in the 6900 block of Hillcrest Drive after a resident called police about suspicious behavior. Two men were questioned and said they were soliciting donations for the United Restoration Church. But a call to the station revealed that the church is not legitimate and its “pastor” has no credentials. The so-called church is under investigation. One of the men gave a false name and when identified was discovered to have two outstanding warrants for obstructing and operating after revocation. He was arrested and taken to the County Jail when he could not post bail.

At 4 p.m., employees at , 8340 W. Blue Mound Rd., reported what they believed was an unsuccessful attempt to defraud the business. A customer turned in a wallet she said she had found in the shop, and 15 minutes later a woman came to the counter and claimed it. Looking inside, the woman said there had been money in the wallet. The clerk said he was sorry for her loss but hadn’t checked it for cash when it was turned in. Later, a caller claiming to be from the company’s headquarters said that the clerk had been seen on security video taking money from the wallet and asked to have all the money in the store brought to a location in Milwaukee. The store manager became suspicious and called corporate headquarters, learning that the call was illegitimate.

At 3:36 a.m., a Wauwatosa woman called police to report that her son had lost his cell phone earlier in the day at the , 8700 W. Watertown Plank Rd. At 3:10 p.m. a male caller said he had found the phone and would return it for a $50 reward. He and the woman exchanged a number of text messages, and she offered to pay the reward. But she turned phone over to police, who texted the caller posing as the mother. A friend of the caller showed up at the McDonald’s restaurant at Highway 100 and Silver Spring Drive in Milwaukee, where police again texted to the boy’s phone and identified the man who had come to deliver it. Officers arrested the 29-year-old Milwaukee man, recovered the phone, got a description of the original caller, then released the man without charges.

At  2:08 p.m., an employee at the T-Mobile kiosk at Mayfair Mall turned in a black makeup bag that contained personal items including jewelry – and 64.9 grams of marijuana. Security officers checked security camera footage but could not identify anyone who left the bag behind.

Friday

At 11:25 p.m., police received call about a man with a gun and found a 19-year-old Milwaukee man on the ground who said he had been the victim of aggravated battery in the parking lot of at 3131 N. Mayfair Rd. The victim said a unknown man standing near a group of people began harassing him, they got into a verbal argument and the man pulled out a weapon and hit him in the back of the head with it. A friend of the victim chased the assailant, who tossed down what turned out to be a plastic pellet gun. Two other guns of the same type were recovered from a vehicle, but turned out to belong to children of a store employee. The victim requested medical care and was taken to the hospital, but his injuries did not appear to be severe.

At 10:40 p.m., a 22-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for a theft that had occurred Thursday at , 11333 W. Locust St. The man was an employee and was seen on security camera entering a car belonging to his employer and taking a book of CDs. He was also found to be in possession of a marijuana pipe and was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

At 4:41 p.m., a resident in 7100 block of Wells St. reported that sometime since 7 p.m. the night before someone had tried to break into his garage. The door had been pulled up about 4 inches and the rubber seal had been pushed in, but there appeared to be no entry and nothing was taken.

Thursday

At 10:50 p.m., a couple reportedly left Red Lobster at 2801 N. Mayfair Road without paying for their meal. An employee tried to stop them but couldn’t and got only a partial license number. No security camera covers the table they were seated, which is closest to the door.

Tuesday

At 3:15 p.m., a 21-year-old Greenfield man was arrested for employee theft at the store in Mayfair Mall. The store’s loss prevention manager told an officer that the employee had just left through the back exit. Other officers were called and the man was taken into custody. The store manager then told officers that he had been contacted repeatedly by the company’s headquarters with reports that bank deposits had not been made on a total of 21 dates. The manager said the 21-year-old had been responsible for making those deposits. Store managers confronted the employee Tuesday and got a written account of how he had taken the deposits to pay debts and then tried to repay it on following days. He had not been able to cover the deposits for five days, totaling $2,218.30, however, and when police were called he tried to leave to avoid arrest.


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