Police squads stolen, Milwaukee man reaches deferred prosecution deal

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man accused of stealing two police squads – one from Milwaukee, the other from Shorewood – will avoid prison for now after reaching a deferred prosecution agreement on Tuesday, May 28.

Prosecutors charged 35-year-old Daniel Barton in separate cases for the crimes, which happened months apart from one another. He was found competent in both cases last October.

Court records show, after reaching a deal with prosecutors on Tuesday, he will have to undergo mental health treatment for at least one year.

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Milwaukee squad stolen

According to the criminal complaint, a police officer was conducting a traffic stop near Holton and Keefe in Milwaukee shortly before 2 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2022. 

The officer was speaking to the people in the stopped vehicle when he saw his squad car drive off southbound on Holton Street, the complaint said. The officer radioed the squad was stolen – and offered the direction the vehicle was last seen traveling.

A few minutes later, another officer spotted the stolen squad near Richards and Burleigh. A man, later identified as Barton, jumped out of the squad and fled into an alley. The complaint said, when another officer arrived in the area, a citizen pointed at a Milwaukee garbage cart and stated: "He's in the garbage can." Barton was found inside the garbage can with the lid over his head.

The complaint said the stolen squad's dashcam video showed Barton giggling as he drove off. He was seen getting out of the squad before running down the alley.

Shorewood squad stolen

Barton was then arrested in May 2023, also accused of stealing a squad – this time in Shorewood.

It happened on Capitol Drive near Estabrook Park, again during a traffic stop, on May 30. The squad was found abandoned near Capitol and Holton. It was not damaged. In the body camera video from that incident, officers are heard saying the car was locked.