Police Reports: Spate of Garage, Shed Burglaries Hit East Tosa Mid-Week

A small area of East Tosa was targeted Wednesday by a burglar or burglars apparently looking for older, detached garages.

A resident of the 2700 block of North 74th Street reported that between 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., someone kicked in the side door of his detached garage, breaking the wooden door frame. Nothing was taken because the homeowner had locked down everything of value with steel cables.

At 12:20 p.m., a resident of the 2700 block of North 73rd Street reported that he had just seen a man enter a neighbor’s detached garage through the service door, which appeared to him to have been unlocked, and leave with a push lawn mower. The owner assured police the door had been locked, and it was found to have been kicked in, ripping the deadbolt out of the door frame.

At 11:42 p.m., a resident of the 2200 block of North 73rd Street reported that someone had entered an unlocked storage shed in his back yard and stolen an appliance dolly. He had not been in the shed in two weeks and did not know when the dolly had disappeared, but given the proximity of the two preceding reports, it is quite possible it had just happened.

In other incidents:

Sunday

At 2:45 p.m., an employee of at Mayfair Mall reported the theft of a pair of sunglasses worth $160. An unknown suspect was seen on video trying on the glasses and pocketing them. The store has been the victim of many such thefts recently, including , one of them rated at more than $1,000 value, and four more prior calls, all investigated and dismissed as unsolvable by detectives who found that video surveillance lacked sufficient quality to make identification of suspects possible.

Saturday

A resident of the 2500 block of North 65th Street reported that overnight someone entered his unlocked vehicle in his driveway and stole $1,300 worth of work tools.

Friday

At 9:20 p.m., a Milwaukee woman reported that within the past hour someone had broken into her car while it was parked in the 2300 block of North 61st Street and stolen her purse. Police found a large rock on the driver’s seat that had been used to smash the window.

At 1:08 p.m., police were called to , 3900 N. 124th St., on a report that a counterfeit $100 bill had been passed at the store that morning. The bill proved to be a genuine $5 bill that had been bleached and reprinted. A similar counterfeit $100 was passed at the store Wednesday.

Thursday

 At 11:43 p.m., a 28-year-old Greenfield man was arrested for driving while intoxicated, first offense, after a caller reported him driving erratically on Blue Mound Road, drifting back and forth across lanes of traffic and nearly striking his car. Police found the driver passed out at the wheel of his running vehice in the 300 block of Honey Creek Parkway. No amount of banging on the window and calling could rouse him, so the officer opened the door and shook him awake, remarking that the smell of alcohol was “overwhelmingly strong.” He could barely perform the steps of a field sobriety test and registered a .20 blood alcohol content on a breath test.

Charges have been filed against Willa M. Leichman, 40, of Milwaukee for theft, possession of cocaine and obstructing an officer after she was stopped at 12:15 p.m. Thursday at , 6950 W. State St., for trying to steal six bottles of vodka worth $154. When questioned, she gave police a fake name. When searched, she was found to have a rock of crack cocaine hidden in her bra, and she had three outstanding Milwaukee County warrants, all for retail theft.

Four students were cited for habitual truancy: a 16-year-old Wauwatosa boy for being absent without excuse all or part of 22 school days this semester; a 17-year-old Wauwatosa boy, 27 days; a 17-year-old Milwaukee boy, 12 days; and a 17-year-old Milwaukee girl, 28 days.

Wednesday

At 6:57 p.m., an 18-year-old Wauwatosa man was arrested for possession of marijuana, and his 18-year-old male companion from Milwaukee was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, after they were found parked behind the former Stroh Die Casting plant at 11123 W. Burleigh St.

At 6:14 p.m., a 16-year-old Milwaukee girl was arrested for theft at at Mayfair Mall after she was caught trying to steal two children’s outfits and a pair of sunglasses with a total value of $76.

A South Milwaukee woman reported that some time between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. someone broke into her car and stole her thyroid medication while she was at work at Plank Road Clinic, 1155 N. Mayfair Road. She had returned to her car after work and found a window smashed and the car rifled.

A Menomonee Falls man reported that sometime between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., someone broke into his vehicle by smashing a window and stole his briefcase while it was parked at , where he works as a manager. The briefcase contained only work papers.

At 4:17 p.m., a 43-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for theft at , 4100 N. 124th St., after he was caught trying to steal tools and materials worth $230.75 retail.

Tuesday

At 6:30 p.m., two Milwaukee women, 42 and 45 years old, were arrested for theft at , 6700 W. State St., after they were caught trying to steal eight bottles of liquor. The older woman was also charged with obstruction for repeatedly giving officers a false name.

At 5:22 p.m., a 16-year-old Milwaukee boy was arrested for theft and obstructing at at Mayfair Mall after he was caught trying to steal clothing worth $186.46 and then gave officers a false name.

A Milwaukee real estate agent reported that some time in the past four days someone had entered a vacant, foreclosed home in the 2200 block of North 60th Street and stolen 52 feet of copper baseboard heating pipe from the living area and an unknown amount from the basement. He estimated the cost of repairs at about $8,000.

Residents of the 300 block of North 114th Street reported that some time between 6:30 p.m. Monday and 2:34 a.m. Tuesday someone had burglarized their home, ransacking it and taking electronic equipment worth about $1,800. Police found that a screen had been removed and a window opened with no sign of force, although the homeowners thought it had been locked.

Monday

At 9:03 p.m., a 17-year-old Milwaukee girl was arrested for theft at at Mayfair Mall after she was caught trying to steal underwear and four pairs of yoga pants together worth $162.

A West Allis woman reported that some time between 7 and 10 p.m. someone entered her unlocked car at , 2201 N. Mayfair Rd., and stole a sweatshirt, two stuffed animals she had won earlier at the arcade, and a money order, which she had canceled before it could be cashed.