Police Reports: Scrap Thief Leaves with a Lame Excuse

The popular slogan goes "Denial is not a river in Egypt." It's also not much of a defense when you're parked in someone else's driveway loading their stuff into your vehicle.

At 11:11 a.m. Saturday, a resident of the 7500 block of West Wright Street reported that he had minutes earlier returned home to find a strange pickup truck backed into his driveway and a woman loading up his scrap aluminum fascia pieces from a home improvement project.

He said he asked her what she was doing, and she replied, “I’m not stealing.”

He suggested that she was, since she was on his property without his permission and taking his property without permission.

She repeated that she wasn’t stealing, got in the truck and left. The victim noted their was a small child sitting in the back seat of the extended cab.

The homeowner had in other recent incidents lost two cast iron bathtubs and four replacement windows.

He described the suspect in this event as a black woman, 35 to 45 years old, 5 feet 7 to 10 inches tall, 200 pounds with a distinctive 3-inch scar across the base of her neck. He got the license number of the truck and police were seeking the listed owner, a 49-year-old Milwaukee woman, for questioning.

In other recent incidents:

Monday

At 12:16 a.m., a resident of the 7200 block of West Center Street reported that someone had just thrown a brick through his front picture window. He said he had been sitting in the living room with family and guests when suddenly there was a crash and broken glass was flying through the room. He ran outside but saw no one, and police canvassing the area found no one. One of the man’s guests said she heard laughter from outside a moment after the window shattered.

Sunday

A loss prevention officer at , 3900 N. 124^th St., reported that two women had come in together, each made a small purchase from the same cashier and paid separately with $100 bills that turned out to be counterfeit. Both were washed $5s reprinted as Ben Franklins.

Three residents of the 2400 block of Lefeber Avenue reported that overnight someone had entered their unlocked cars. One lost two new pairs of pants and a shirt that she had left inside, another lost a GPS unit, the third a GPS and a gold bracelet.

Saturday

At 4:15 p.m., a 30-year-old West Allis man was arrested on warrants after police answered a citizen’s call that two men were chasing a third, all on foot, through heavy traffic on West North Avenue front of . An officer happened just to be leaving , and two of the men were just driving off in a pickup truck when he pulled them over. They said they had been throwing a football around behind the school when a stranger approached and asked to join them. They agreed but, they said, the guest soon became unwelcome when he tried to tackle one of them. Punches were thrown, injuries were sustained, and the chase ensued. One of the men was bleeding from a deep cut on his chin, requiring stitches. He was taken into custody on three outstanding warrants through the West Bend Police Department for disorderly conduct and driving after suspension.

At 3:01 p.m., a 59-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested on warrants after a State Patrol trooper reported him wandering and appearing to need assistance in the 600 block of North 68^th Street. The man was highly intoxicated and did not know where he was, but he proved to have outstanding warrants for his second and third drunken driving offenses and for bail jumping. He was held for pickup by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.

A resident of , 2556 N. 124^th St., reported that overnight someone had smashed in a window in his car and stolen his GPS unit.

At 3:39 a.m., officers responded to a burglar alarm at Currie Park Auto, 10745 W. Capitol Dr., and found that someone had smashed a window on the side of the building. A door stood open, apparently the means of escape. The owner soon arrived and after the building was secured he checked and found that four or five cartons of cigarettes had been stolen. The cash drawer had also been overturned, but it had been empty.

Friday

At 11:27 a.m., a 25-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested at , 3201 N. Mayfair Rd., after she was seen trying to steal about $75 worth of children’s clothing and medicines.

At 10:45 a.m., a 40-year-old Wauwatosa woman was arrested for retail theft after she stole four packs of cigarettes from the . Store clerks said the woman was a daily customer, but this time, at about 9:20 a.m., she tried to pay for her cigarettes by check and was refused. While a cashier discussed the matter with a manager, the woman picked up the cigarettes and left without paying. Police easily traced her to her nearby home and arrested the theft.

At 8:21 a.m., an 18-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for retail theft at ., after he was caught trying to steal a bottle of vodka by hiding it in his backpack.

Last Thursday

At 10:42 p.m., four teenagers were arrested at The Reserve, 6100 W. State St., after they were seen inside the gated pool area of the complex without permission and appeared to be trying to break in to the clubhouse. They told police they were hoping to get inside to use the hot tub. The property manager found that they had broken the door handle and asked that they be prosecuted. Arrested for trespassing and criminal damage to property were a 19-year-old Wauwatosa man and a 19-year-old from Milwaukee. Arrested for trespassing were a 19-year-old West Allis man and an 18-year-old Wauwatosa man.