Kaia Mueller pleads guilty to bank robbery, vehicle theft charges
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Kaia Mueller of Elkhorn pleaded guilty to three counts against him on Tuesday, Jan. 11 in connection to two Oconomowoc armed robberies, including a bank, and the alleged theft of two vehicles in June 2021.
Mueller, 44, pleaded guilty to the following criminal counts:
- Attempt operate without consent-possess weapon
- Operate without consent-possess weapon
- Robbery of a financial institution
Four other charges against Mueller were dismissed and read into the court record for the purposes of sentencing.
The crimes
Mueller was arrested by Lake Delton police on June 30, 2021. It was a day earlier when Oconomowoc police were dispatched to the area near W. Second and S. Franklin Streets for a possible armed robbery. Police said as officers were en route, a second call came in for a vehicle theft about a block away near Second and Main.
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A short time later, a hold-up alarm was triggered at Waukesha State Bank, nearly three miles to the south near Highway 67 and Oconomowoc Drive, and the person involved in the first two incidents matched the description of the person involved in the bank robbery.
Law enforcement searching for a suspect after a robbery at Waukesha State Bank in Oconomowoc.
Summit police made a traffic stop on a vehicle, which crashed off of westbound I-94 near Golden Lake Road. The driver ran off into the woods.
The interstate was shut down for hours as police searched for the man, causing backups that stretched miles. Deputies in tactical gear and long guns also blocked streets in the area as the search for the suspect continued into the evening.
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Several hours after the robbery calls came in, police got word that a car was stolen off of Valley View Road in Oconomowoc – the vehicle police believe the suspect used as a getaway car.
Police later identified Mueller as the suspect in the strong-armed robbery and bank robbery.
Sentencing for Mueller is scheduled for March 10.
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