MPD brother officers, alert couple help arrest Riverwest burglaries suspect

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee police say teamwork and a pair of alert citizens helped them arrest the man responsible for at least two dozen burglaries in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood.

Police say 19-year-old Darrius Jones was out on bail for a previous burglary charge when he started breaking into Riverwest homes during the last week of June, targeting electronics like computers, flat-screen TVs and iPods.

Police documented 24 burglaries tied to Jones in an area between Holton and Humboldt and between Capitol and Commerce.

The two men who tracked the burglaries aren't just MPD officers -- they're also brothers! Kevin and Brian Matte were just recently assigned to the same district.

The brothers say they had a good idea who was responsible for these burglaries, but had help from a Riverwest couple who caught Jones walking around, looking into windows.

"He had various items, two sets of car keys and within probably a couple hours, the victims contacted the police and we were able to establish that it belonged to the victims,"

Officials say in many of the cases, Jones was able to enter the homes through an open window, or by pushing the window air conditioner into the residence and entering that way.

Police are re-iterating the importance of locking windows and doors when not at home in light of this case.

Police say Jones cooperated with the investigation and told police he knows what he did was wrong, but he's struggling with a drug addiction.

Jones is due in court Friday, July 27th.