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Theft investigation at UW-Milwaukee
Theft investigation at UW-Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- UW-Milwaukee Police are trying to figure out if burglaries on campus have been ongoing. This, after three individuals were arrested early Sunday morning, February 16th in Sandburg Hall's North Tower after a student reported finding a gun in his dorm room.
UW-Milwaukee Police say they got a call around 4:00 a.m. from a student who said he came back to his dorm room inside the South Tower of Sandburg Hall and found a gun that wasn't his on his bed.
When police responded to the student's room, they discovered electronics in the room that the student said did not belong to him or his roommates.
UW-Milwaukee Police believe the suspects in this case were able to steal items from 15-20 dorm rooms.
Two students/residents and one non-student/non-resident were arrested. They were arrested in Sandburg Hall's North Tower, after security cameras led authorities to them.
Michael Laliberte, the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at UW-Milwaukee says the school was still getting reports of missing belongings on Monday, as many students returned to their dorms after being gone for the weekend.
"Stealing various pieces of equipment, jewelry, money -- anything they could find that they could easily put into a backpack or their pockets. Students are coming forward (Monday) saying 'I found this missing,' and also letting students who may have actually slept through it to say 'look around your room to see if anything is missing and let us know,'" Laliberte said.
UWM freshman Mauri Dismukes says she saw two of the three accused burglars get arrested by police at gunpoint. He believes the suspects in this case were going from room to unlocked room – stealing if no one was around. If they ran into someone, Dismukes says they would pretend to be looking for a classmate.
“They used ‘Sam’ as a fictional character in case someone was there, and would just walk out so it wouldn’t be awkward,” Dismukes said.
UW-Milwaukee student Chad Livingston told FOX6 News he received a warning from a roommate upon returning to his dorm room on Sunday night.
"One of the people I live with was like 'hey dude, we've got to keep the door locked. Someone broke in and tried to take your roommate's Xbox and other stuff," Livingston said.
UW-Milwaukee Police are still working to determine exactly how many students were ripped off.
FOX6 News is not naming the suspects in this case because they have not been charged. Two of those arrested are 19, and a third is 17.
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