Police Report: Cash, Tools, Materials Taken in Three Felony Thefts

Three thefts reported this week in Wauwatosa climbed into the felony range – cash or property valued at greater than $2,500 – and a suspect in one was arrested for allegedly stealing about $8,000.

According to the arrest report: At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, a 20-year-old Milwaukee woman employed by San Camillo, 10200 Blue Mound Rd., was arrested for felony theft after it was discovered that since June she had been stealing on average about half the cash receipts from the assisted living center’s store on each day she worked.

After managers noticed an abrupt reduction in receipts, which became chronic – and noted that they spiked back to previous levels whenever she didn't work the register – they installed a security camera in the office where she counted the cash.

The cashier noticed the camera and began to cover it up, but kept stealing. So the camera was hidden in a light fixture and she was soon recorded in the act of setting aside cash.

When an officer arrived, his first question was "Where is the money?" The woman immediately answered, "In my sock," and took off her shoe and produced it.

She made a full statement to police, saying she had stolen the money mainly to pay college tuition, but she still had about $4,000 in ill-gotten gains in the bank and offered to restore it to San Camillo.

Police estimated the total loss in cash at $8,000 and planned to forward the case to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office with a request for a charge of felony theft.

In other incidents:

Thursday

A loss prevention employee at , 3900 N. 124th St., reported that on Oct. 15 a sales associate fraudulently processed the return of an iPad2, worth $829.99, and then gave it to a “customer” accomplice. The young man has not been seen since.

Wednesday

At 7:58 p.m., a resident of the 1900 block of North 118th Street reported that three snowblowers had been stolen from his driveway some time since noon. He valued them at $200 together and said it was a hobby to rebuild them and give them to neighbors.

A vehicle rented from , 1826 North Mayfair Rd., was listed as stolen four days after the renter failed to return it to the company. The car had been rented by a 57-year-old woman who listed an address in the 4800 block of North 107th Street, but neighbors told police she had moved out months ago.

At 1:45 p.m., a 27-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested for theft after she was caught with $354.10 worth of clothing and jewelry taken from in . She had been seen concealing the merchandise in what turned out to be a “boost bag” lined with aluminum foil, which defeats store sensors.

An employee of American Sewer Services in Rubicon reported that some time from Oct. 29 to 31 someone had stolen $6,500 worth of sewer pipes and equipment from a job site at North Mayfair and Watertown Plank roads. One of the pieces stolen weighed nearly 500 pounds, leading him to believe that it would have taken several people to remove the property.

Tuesday

 At 7:06 p.m., a 14-year-old Milwaukee girl was arrested for theft after she was caught leaving at Mayfair Mall without paying for about $100 worth of clothing.

An 86-year-old Wauwatosa woman reported that she had been defrauded when she wired $3,800 to Peru through Western Union in response to calls that the money was needed to free her granddaughter’s husband from jail in Lima. The man turned out to be safely at home in New York.

At 2:14 p.m., an 18-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested for theft and possession of marijuana at Abercrombie Kids in Mayfair Mall, where she had been employed. Loss prevention personnel had discovered that she had stolen money from her cash register on a number of occasions over the course of a month. When the arresting officer picked up her purse, he could smell the marijuana.

At 2:12 p.m., a 17-year-old Milwaukee boy was arrested for theft at Macy’s after he tried to leave while wearing a new pair of $100 Nike shoes, leaving his old pair in their box. He tried to flee but was physically detained by a store security officer.

An employee of Coca Cola Enterprises reported that nearly $1,000 had been stolen recently from five vending machines at the , 10499 Innovation Dr., and that each machine had sustained about $100 in damage. He reported that this is part of a rash of such thefts in the area and likely the work of an employee or former employee who would know how to access the machines’ locking mechanism.

Monday

An Tosa resident who is an employee of Vector Electrical Contractors of Waukesha reported that his company van had been broken into while it was parked in front of his residence in the 4600 block of North Delco Ave. He found both the rear and side doors open and $4,686 worth of tools missing. The man was sure he had locked the van but police could find no evidence of force used to enter it.