Police Reports: Young Sisters Make 'Game' of Getting Arrested

Two young sisters, one still a pre-teen, are being sought again by police, along with a man suspected of recruiting them to commit large retail thefts for his gain.

At 6:24 p.m. Tuesday, police were called to the Pick ‘n Save store at 1717 N. Mayfair Rd. to review video footage of three known suspects who made off with a shopping cart load of diapers and baby formula worth more than $500.

Police are seeking a 48-year-old Milwaukee man and two Milwaukee sisters, 12 and 14 years old. The three are well known by company security and police from numerous prior thefts and arrests, according to police reports.

The two girls had been arrested Sept. 9 while fleeing from Walmart Market, 3850 N. 124th St., and the man they identified as "Shotgun" has all but proved to be the same man involved Thursday.

In that earlier incident, the two girls hid in the back seat of a white Cadillac Eldorado in the Walmart parking lot after running from the store, but they had been spotted by a witness, and a store security guard stood behind the car to keep it from leaving before police arrived.

The owner of the Cadillac – now known to be the adult male suspect – had caused a distracting commotion in the store while the girls were trying to conceal their thefts. He came out of the store, confronted the security guard, ordered the girls out of his car and drove off without them.

The two girls had also been arrested a month before that nearby by Brookfield police, and the Eldorado had been spotted then, too.

Police believe that the man has recruited the two young sisters to steal for him, selling the goods and returning them a small share. But when they are caught, he leaves them on their own.

The mother of the girls told police after Thursday’s arrest that she moved to Milwaukee from Chicago in hopes of getting her daughters away from such behavior, as they had been arrested there several times for shoplifting and panhandling at even younger ages.

She said her daughters show no respect for her authority, that of the police, or anyone else, and that they treat being caught and ticketed as if it were part of a game.

This time, however, the girls were not just ticketed but were referred to the Milwaukee County Juvenile Justice Center for possible charges and, possibly, detention.

In other recent incidents:

Thursday

At 1:54 a.m., a resident of the 6400 block of West Wisconsin Avenue reported that he had just chased off a subject who had entered his car in his driveway. The homeowner had been in his garage smoking a cigar, he told police, when he heard his car door close. He opened the garage door and saw someone running out of his drive. He chased the subject across his neighbor’s property, but he escaped. He found that his wife’s car had been rifled, but nothing of value had been taken. He could only say that the subject was about 5-feet-8 with a stocky build and wearing dark clothing.

Wednesday

At 10:30 p.m., two 17-year-old Wauwatosa boys were arrested, one for underage drinking and the other for possession of drug paraphernalia, outside AMF Bowlero, 11737 W. Burleigh St. Police presence at the bowling alley had been requested by management because of increasing suspicions that high school-aged customers were drinking before and after sessions and going outside to smoke marijuana between games. After that request was read in roll call, a patrol officer visited the lanes and, inside a Toyota Highlander in the lot, spotted two half-drunk bottles of Old English 800, an 18-inch-tall glass bong, and a baggie with flakes of green “shake.” He continued his rounds but stopped back at the Highlander later and found the two boys in it. One admitted to drinking and tested a .038 blood alcohol concentration. The other admitted he owned the bong and the bag. One boy had two fake IDs on him, the other had one.

At 4:45 p.m., management at CVS Pharmacy, 7520 Blue Mound Rd., reported that a man had just walked out of the store with a bottle of liquor and two bottles of antacid tablets. Security was unable to stop him and police could not find him on the street.

At 3:57 p.m., a 38-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested for theft at Boston Store in Mayfair Mall after she was seen hiding a belt in her purse and then taking two coats into a fitting room, where she put them on under her own and then tried to leave. She was stopped and detained for police. She told police she was stealing for the first time, at the demand of a certain “Jack from Alabama,” who had told her if she didn’t steal and sell clothing for money, she would be deported to her native West Africa. She said she now expected to go to prison, but instead she was given a citation with bail set at $550 and was dropped off back at the mall. The clothing she tried to steal was worth a total of $453 retail.

At 3:26 p.m., a 30-year-old Glendale woman was arrested at Target, 3900 N. 124th St., after she tried to leave the store with a diaper bag and five workout sets, tops and pants, which were hidden under her 22-month-old daughter in a carrier in her cart. The merchandise was worth $239.89; she was booked and ticketed at $300 bail plus $129 costs.

At 1 p.m., a 20-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested on suspicion of theft and on three open warrants at Boston Store at Mayfair after she was seen hiding jewelry worth $292 in her purse and then trying to leave without paying for it. She was stopped, and the jewelry was recovered, along with a handmade bag inside her purse composed of duct tape and aluminum foil, commonly used to defeat security sensors. She was wanted in Glendale on warrants for: retail theft, possession of a controlled substance, and contempt of court. She was cited with a $993 fine and locked up to await pickup by the Glendale police.

At 11:38 a.m., an employee of Family Christian Stores, 2525 N. Mayfair Rd., reported that a man had just stolen several sweatshirts and left in a tan Chevy Lumina with Wisconsin plates. The sweatshirts were believed to say “Faith” and “Jeremiah 29:11.”

Tuesday

At 5:30 p.m., two Milwaukee women, one 48 and one 54, were arrested for theft at the Goodwill Industries store, 12121 W. Feerick St., after they were seen hiding items in their purses and then trying to leave. The total for all merchandise recovered was $115.72 retail value.

The owners of Tosa Yoga, currently relocating to 6734 W. North Ave., reported that between 4:20 and 4:30 p.m., someone stole a steel awning frame from the rear of the business and escaped with it in a beige Ford Ranger pickup truck. The owner said a neighborhood friend had called him to tell him he’d just seen the truck driving off southbound on North 67th Street with the 16-foot-long awning perched on top of the cab and hanging out the back. The neighbor was not able to get the license number of the truck.

At 4:35 p.m., a 51-year-old Mequon woman was arrested on suspicion of a theft committed Monday at the Coach store in Mayfair Mall. A store manager said the suspect was a frequent customer, known by sight and by name from previous transactions, who had come in to make an exchange. After she left, some merchandise was missing, and she was seen on video taking it. Police contacted her and persuaded her to turn herself in. She was issued a citation with bail set at $801.

Last Monday

At 6:35 p.m., employees at Verizon Wireless in Mayfair Mall reported the theft of a $550 iPhone by an unknown subject.

At 7:24 p.m., a 48-year-old Wauwatosa man was arrested for the fifth time since Oct. 24 for theft of liquor from the Pick ‘n Save store at 1717 N. Mayfair Rd., and also for trespassing because he has been banned.

A 7:06 p.m., a 16-year-old Chicago girl was questioned and released after she tried to return eight brassieres at the Mayfair Mall Victoria’s Secret store that were believed to have been stolen from the Bayshore Mall store in Glendale. The Bayshore store manager told Wauwatosa police there had been a “grab and run” theft there earlier but just what was taken wasn’t certain and no police report was filed. Absent probable cause and evidence of a crime, the girl was released. She did hand over the bras to police, who returned them to Victoria’s Secret.

A 5:17 p.m., a 33-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested for theft at the Buckle store in Mayfair Mall after she was seen putting several pairs of jeans in a large bag and trying to leave. Inside her bag was another, lined with foil, and inside it were the jeans.

At 1:45 p.m., a 28-year-old Milwaukee man and a 24-year-old Shawano woman were arrested for criminal trespassing after they were reported and found inside a vacant, boarded up home in the 4600 block of North 100th Street.

A resident of the 11100 block of West Meinecke Avenue reported that between 9:30 a.m. and noon someone stole her purse out of her unlocked car while it was parked in front of her home.

A Nora, Ind., man who is a regional manager for Lowe’s hardware stores reported that between 2:20 and 2:45 p.m. someone broke into his rental car and stole his luggage containing his traveling clothes while he was visiting the Wauwatosa store at 12000 W. Burleigh St.