Sweet Tooth Keeps Thief Coming Back for More

For the manager of a Wauwatosa convenience store, it was the last pixie straw.

When he finally called police last week for help, it was to report that the same man had been coming to the store regularly since late December and stealing whole boxes of candy bars.

Officers who went to the BP/Open Pantry gas station and convenience store at 12324 W. North Ave. were handed CDs burned from three separate times the man had been caught on video making off with large quantities of candy. The manager said there had been numerous other instances as well, but the thief always eluded capture.

According to the manager, the man appears to know he is being watched. He frequently picks up a bag of chips and walks toward the back of the store, then holds up the chips and waves them at staff or at cameras. Then he picks up a box of candy bars, wanders to the automotive section, puts the candy under his coat, walks back to the front of the store, deposits the chips and leaves.

The candy bar crook even strikes up conversations with his victims; he once asked the location of the nearest Walgreen's store, leading the manager to wonder whether he was planning on hitting that candy aisle next.

In one instance, the man grew upset with a store employee who followed him around the store keeping an eye on him. Yet he still brazenly made off with another box of candy.

The thief has taken a number of different brands but has a real taste for Snickers and Mr. Goodbars. The store manager estimated his losses at $222. He told police that he hoped that he and his staff would be able to delay the man and call police next time he strikes.

The police report did not indicate that the store staff had ever made any real effort to physically detain the suspect. No wonder, as he is no lightweight. The manager described him as being in his late 20s to early 30s, 6'-2" to 6'-4” tall and weighing 250 pounds.