Police Reports: Counterfeiters Still Hard at Work

At 5:27 p.m. Friday, police were called to , 3900 N. 124th St., on a report that a woman had just passed a counterfeit $100 bill. The woman had left the area by the time officers arrived.

The clerk said she thought the bill “didn’t feel right” when she accepted it, but she made change anyway while trying to stall the customer until a manager arrived. The customer rushed out of the store when managers approached.

The bill proved to be a bleached and reprinted $5 bill, and Target management also turned over six more counterfeit $100 bills, all of them reprinted $5s, and one fake $10 bill. Those phonies had all been discovered after cash drawers had been turned in, long after the fact.

The suspect was described as a black woman with a medium complexion, in her mid- to late 30s, 5-feet 6-inches tall, with a heavy build of about 225 pounds. The clerk said she had “skin tags” all over her face and wore her black hair straight. She was wearing a “puffy” blue winter coat at the time.

In other incidents:

Sunday

At 2:16 p.m., a Brookfield man reported that some time since 11:15 a.m. someone had smashed a window out of his car and stolen his wife’s purse while they were inside Bowlero, 11737 W. Burleigh St.

Saturday

At 4:06 p.m., a 26-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for driving while intoxicated by drugs after a traffic stop in the 10200 block of West North Avenue for not wearing a seatbelt. The officer smelled marijuana, and a passenger in the car admitted they had been smoking. No marijuana was found. The driver lacked any identification and so was taken into custody to confirm his identity. He was then arrested for OWI.

At 10:31 a.m., police were called to , 4100 N. 124th St., on a report of a theft in progress, but the suspect had run from the store and could not be found in the area. He had stolen nine circuit breakers worth $439.39 retail value.

Friday

At 3 p.m., a caller reported having just seen an unknown boy or young man smash the side mirror off a vehicle parked in the lower lot near at . The suspect could not be found when police arrived. The damaged vehicle proved to belong to a loss-prevention officer at Boston Store, but he said he thought it was a coincidence and that he was not being targeted.

Thursday

At 2:21 a.m., a 46-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for operating while intoxicated, his second offense, and for failure to install a mandated ignition interlock device after a traffic stop in the 1200 block of Glenview Avenue. A patrol officer saw the man run a flashing red light without slowing and then proceeding to drive 35 to 40 mph in a 25 mph zone. He had been arrested for OWI last year and was still under orders not to drive a vehicle without an ignition interlock and not to drive with a blood alcohol concentration greater than .02. He refused a breath test and was taken for a blood draw.

Wednesday

A resident of the 7400 block of Harwood Avenue reported that some time overnight someone had broken into his garage and stolen two wheel rims with tires for a 1957 Chevy and a vintage motorcycle frame, either Norton or BSA from the late ‘60s. The burglar had pushed in a wooden panel next to the service door to gain entry.