Search warrant provides new insight into burglaries at UWM
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- FOX6 News has obtained a search warrant related to weekend burglaries on the UW-Milwaukee campus, which details UW-Milwaukee police's investigation on Sunday, February 16th -- and the items allegedly taken by the suspects in this case.
Around 4:00 a.m. Sunday, February 16th, a UW-Milwaukee student living in Sandburg Hall's South Tower called UW-Milwaukee police to report a loaded handgun he found lying on his bed.
A search warrant in the case says that student told police he believed his roommate had stolen items that were now in their room, along with the loaded handgun.
The search warrant says the roommate in this case was known to UW-Milwaukee police due to previous contacts.
When a UW-Milwaukee police officer entered the residence where the loaded handgun was reportedly discovered, the officer found in plain view numerous backpacks, ID cards belonging to individuals not living in the residence, multiple PlayStation game consoles and controllers, an Xbox game console, numerous iPhones, numerous iPads, large quantities of money, a marijuana grinder - and the handgun, which was discovered loaded with eight rounds of 9mm ammunition. All of this, according to the search warrant.
The search warrant indicates the handgun was found to be a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun. A stolen item check was performed on the handgun - and it was discovered that the weapon was reported as stolen to the Milwaukee Police Department. The weapon was entered as stolen in July of 2009.
The search warrant makes reference to a vehicle found parked illegally in Sandburg Hall's Circle Drive. This vehicle was found to be registered to the roommate of the individual who initially contacted UW-Milwaukee police in this case.
The person to whom the vehicle was found to be registered and two other subjects were observed on surveillance camera entering the Sandburg Hall North Tower stairwell, and traveling up from the third floor, according to the search warrant.
A floor-by-floor search was conducted inside Sandburg Hall's North Tower -- and around 5:00 a.m., three individuals were apprehended as they were exiting a suite in Sandburg Hall's North Tower, according to the search warrant.
The search warrant indicates the three individuals apprehended by UW-Milwaukee police were found to be in possession of one or more wallets containing personal documents and effects that did not belong to them.
The search warrant says one of the three arrested in this case admitted the three were "systematically engaged in several burglaries of dorm rooms in Sandburg Hall, and Cambridge Commons" -- another UW-Milwaukee dorm.
According to the search warrant, the following items were found in the Sandburg Hall South Tower dorm room to which UW-Milwaukee police were initially called after the loaded handgun was discovered:
UWM freshman Mauri Dismukes says he 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.
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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