Donte Allen; Isaiah Craig; Jawaan Johnson; Javier Noel
PEWAUKEE, Wis. - Four Illinois men are accused of stealing mail from multiple Waukesha County businesses.
Prosecutors charged 25-year-old Donte Allen, 24-year-old Isaiah Craig, 31-year-old Jawaan Johnson and 26-year-old Javier Noel with conspiracy to commit mail theft. Allen is also charged with obstructing an officer.
According to a criminal complaint, Waukesha County deputies were clearing a burglary alarm at a Pewaukee industrial park around 2:40 a.m. on Jan. 8. While still in the parking lot, a deputy spotted an SUV that suddenly pulled directly in front of a business – a behavior the deputy found suspicious considering most of the businesses in the park were closed.
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The complaint states there had also been a number of catalytic converter and gasoline thefts reported in the area. The deputy drove toward the vehicle and continued to follow it as it drove down through the industrial park and onto Redford Boulevard.
After running the dealer plate that was affixed to the SUV – and finding the plate had no vehicle associated with it – the complaint states deputies conducted a traffic stop on I-94 eastbound near the Fox River.
Waukesha County Sheriff's Department
The four Illinois men were in the SUV, and the complaint states Johnson was the driver. Allen initially gave deputies a fake name, prosecutors said, but soon admitted he lied because "he thought he might have warrants out for his arrest." Deputies said each of the men said they were dropping off a friend, but none of them could say where that friend was dropped off.
The complaint states an odor of marijuana prompted deputies to search the SUV. During that search, prosecutors said deputies found 21 pieces of mail that had been taken from Waukesha County businesses – and checks taken from a Madison business. At least two checks already had the payee named whited out, the complaint states, "indicating that someone was trying to alter the check to rewrite who the check should be paid to."
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The complaint states the four defendants had no ties to the area and were found close to the businesses where checks had just been taken from, given the postmarked dates.
All four men made initial court appearances Jan. 9.