Crime & Safety

Crime Beat: Robbery, Retail Thefts and More

A roundup of the latest Wauwatosa police reports.

Based on available police reports placed on file since Wednesday, things have been a bit quieter than ususal on the Wauwatosa crime beat in the past week.

Two incidents of violent crime included a strong-arm robbery in which a 14-year-old Milwaukee boy was beaten up and robbed of $10 by three other Milwaukee boys, two of them 15 and one 14. The victim was well acquainted with his assailants and all three were arrested. The incident occurred at 1 p.m. Thursday outside in the 2400 block of N. Wauwatosa Avenue.

In the other case, friends who had been drinking and watching basketball got into a fight at 1:48 a.m. Sunday at a residence in the 4200 block of North 95th Street, leading to charges of battery and disorderly conduct against a 35-year-old Milwaukee man, as well $300 damage to his host's home.

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Drunken driving arrests

Three people were arrested during the week for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, one of them a fifth offense. That was a 45-year-old Hales Corners woman who blew a 0.23 blood alcohol reading just after noon Wednesday at Honey Creek Parkway and Blue Mound Road.

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On Thursday, a 49-year-old Milwaukee man drew his third offense when he was found asleep in his car at 3:17 a.m. in the 11200 block of West Burleigh Street. Officers had to shout to wake him. He refused a field sobriety test but announced to officers that he had a gun. A .44-cal. pistol and ammunition were found hidden in the car, so he received a concealed weapon charge as well.

Also on Thursday, a 23-year-old Butler man ran his car into a tree in the 4600 block of North Parkside Drive at 9:46 p.m. He tried to flee but was caught and registered a blood alcohol reading of 0.23, netting him his second OWI offense. He was also charged with hit and run and failure to have insurance.

In a related incident, a 39-year-old Wauwatosa man being questioned about a fight was found to be drunk, a violation of his probation for his fifth OWI offense. He was taken into custody at 9:59 a.m. in the 11100 block of West Hope Avenue.

Theft

Retail theft reports included two within hours of one another Sunday at the on State Street, both of which involved juveniles trying to steal a bottle of liquor. One was a 17-year-old Wauwatosa boy trying to make off with a liter of vodka; the other a 17-year-old Milwaukee boy who tried to heist a bottle of rum. Both were caught.

In the latter case, the boy was also wanted as a fugitive, having escaped from the custody of the Sheriff's Department. The Wauwatosa police arresting officer noted in his report that the boy also slipped out of the interview room at the station and was found hiding in another room. Returned to the interview room and left alone again for a few minutes, he was caught trying to remove a ceiling tile, having managed the trick of getting his handcuffed arms from back to front.

There were nine other reports of theft, two of them being cases of theft by fraud in which employees tried to con their companies through the customer service systems. At at Mayfair Mall, a 20-year-old Milwaukee woman helped two friends, one a 20-year-old Milwaukee woman and the other a 17-year-old Milwaukee girl, bag up nearly $900 worth of clothing but charged them only about $45. She was observed on store security cameras merely pretending to ring up most of the items.

A 37 year-old Cudahy woman and a 27-year-old Milwaukee man who worked at , 2635 N. Mayfair Road, created a manager's card registered to a supervisor who had left the company. She had stolen cash and tried to cover it by registering $343.26 in voids and comps; he had done the same, accounting for $993.44 in store losses. At the time of their arrest, they were also found with marijuana and Clonazepam narcotic pills, so drug possession was added to the charges.

At Mayfair Mall

Wednesday: A 21-year-old Milwaukee woman and 23-year-old Milwaukee man were arrested for theft of more than $1,000 worth of merchandise.

Thursday: Police were seeking a known suspect in the theft of a watch worth $995 from Shaw’s Jewelery, and a Pewaukee woman reported a $200 GPS unit stolen from her car.

Friday:  A 17-year-old Milwaukee boy was caught trying to steal $369.50 worth of clothing from Macy's, where just over an hour later two more Milwaukee boys, 15 and 16, were caught attempting to steal clothing worth $141 and $79 respectively.

Saturday: A suspect seen concealing clothing at Macy's ran from the store and escaped.

Elsewhere

Thursday: The staff at the , 7603 W. State St., reported that an unknown man had passed fraudulent traveler’s check there on March 5; unknown subjects left the at 12324 W. North Ave. without paying for $30 worth of gas; and two male subjects were seen making off with a Sylvania mini-tablet worth $99.99 from , 7520 W. Blue Mound Rd.

Saturday: Two men reportedly stole a food preparation table from the parking lot of the Pick 'n Save on State Street; and a West Allis man reported the theft of a cell phone outside , 9125 W. North Ave., by a man who pretended interest in buying it, then ran away with it. Police tracked down and apprehended an 18-year-old Milwaukee man.

Stolen vehicles

In two cases, thieves made off with vehicles in fairly bold fashion.

Wednesday, an employee of Snow Patrol reported that a skid loader with snow plow, together worth $45,500, was stolen from a parking lot at 10000 Innovation Drive sometime since March 18.

Thursday, a Muskego woman reported her 2010 Honda Odessey had been stolen from the parking lot at the , 7635 W. North Ave. The Civic Building housing the library is also home to City Hall and Municipal Court, places frequented by the police.

Drug arrests

On Saturday during a 1:55 a.m. traffic traffic stop in the 2600 block of North 75th Street, a 22-year-old Muskego woman and a 25-year-old Muskego man were found in possession of drug paraphernalia. It was her fourth arrest on drug or paraphernalia charges, his sixth. Also, a postal worker reported a suspicious package thought to contain drugs. It was held and police questioned a man thought to be involved, but no arrests were made.

Sunday, officers investigating a suspicious vehicle at 12:50 a.m. in the 220 North 65th Street found a 19-year-old Milwaukee woman and an 18-year-old Milwaukee man with four bags, about 13 grams, of marijuana, netting them not only drug possession charges but also intent to sell,

Attempted burglary

On Friday, a resident reported at 10:32 p.m. that two men tried to enter his home in the 7600 block of West Wisconsin Avenue via a porch roof. They ran away when he saw them and had not been apprehended.

Other

At the Carmelite School for Boys, 1214 Kavanaugh Pl., one juvenile was arrested on a fugitive warrant and taken away, and another ran away and is now a fugitive himself.

Thursday, a 35-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested on outstanding warrants from the Menomonee Falls Police Department, and Friday, a Wauwatosa man reported that his truck had been paint-balled.

Eight traffic accident investigation reports were filed, two of them hit and runs.


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