For now, residents can find comfort in the idea that authorities believe they have cleared recent home burglary incidents, as well as theft incidents at Waukesha South High School.
The three Waukesha teenagers that were arrested for the recent string of burglaries on the city's southwest side were each charged with multiple felony counts last week in Waukesha County Court.
If convicted, Johnathon Lilteich, 17, Harley McKay, 18, and Collin Hoya, 18, face up to 12 years and six months in prison and $25,000 in fines on each of the five burglary counts.
McKay and Lilteich were also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, a penalty that can result in a fine of $25,000 and up to 10 years in prison. The two were previously found delinquent of felonies and prohibited from possessing firearms, according to the criminal complaint.
Lilteich is being held at the Waukesha County Jail on a $100,000 cash bail, while McKay and Hoya are being held on a $50,000 cash bail.
According to the criminal complaint, the burglaries occurred in many cases while homeowners were sleeping. The suspects allegedly stole a variety of electronics, jewelry, cash, alcohol and guns.
Burglaries begin
The complaint says police were first notified of a burglary in the 900 block of Dana Lane, south of Highway 59 and east of Oakdale Drive, after a man was awakened at 2 a.m. July 9.
The man grabbed a hockey stick and, while securing his home, he noticed the sliding door that leads to the kitchen was open. The man went to the basement and noticed the window was open and the screen was removed from the outside of the residence. Money, an electronic device and a bottle of whiskey were stolen.
Lilteich later admitted to police that he drank the almost full whisley bottle in the backyard and continued to burglarize more homes while drunk, according to the complaint.
Another burglary occurred in the 2400 block of Leslie Lane the same night.
A police officer's home was also burglarized in the 2300 block of Riverton Drive that night. According to the complaint, the officer's side garage door was broken into and a Coach brand wristlet was stolen from a vehicle. Money and other electronics were stolen. The officer was at work at the time and his wife was upstairs sleeping, the complaint says.
A house in the 900 block of Dana Lane was also broken into through a basement window, according to the complaint.
Four days later, a man in the 1200 block of Thrush Lane, also on the southwest side of the city, noticed two guns were missing from his basement, one a Ruger Redhawk .44 caliber Magnum revolver and a Remington shotgun, the complaint says.
All of the items from the burglaries were ultimately found once software from one of the missing laptops showed the laptop was at 329 Douglass Avenue (about 20 feet from Lilteich's bedroom, according to the complaint) on Monday, July 14.
After locating the missing items in a garbage container on the side of the street, a search warrant was obtained to search Lilteich's residence and additional items related to the burglaries were located. The revolver was found in Lilteich's orange Volkswagen parked in the driveway, the complaint says.
Each had a role
According to the criminal complaint, Lilteich admitted that he, McKay and Hoya went out together and broke into the residences and that Hoya only went into some of the homes because he was at first afraid to go inside, according to the complaint.
McKay said that for 50 to 60 percent of the houses Lilteich went into the house, Hoya stayed in the garage next to the door to the house and McKay was a lookout, the complaint says. McKay added they attempted to break into more houses but only five or six were entered. McKay said Lilteich got more of the money they stole because he went inside the houses.
Thefts at South
Hoya and McKay were also each charged last week with five misdemeanor theft charges relating to an incident this spring at Waukesha South High School.
According to the criminal complaint, numerous thefts were reported on April 9 from a school concert the night before.
McKay told police that he and Hoya had gone to Waukesha South for a choir concert and left the auditorium and went into the band room and took backpacks from the band room, the complaint says. He said they took three cellphones, a Nintendo handheld gaming system and gift cards.
The suspects later went over to another student's house and a female student said the suspects talked about getting rid of the backpacks that had the items near a garbage can, the complaint says.
Fearful that she would be blamed because of her association with Mckay and Hoya, the female said she told them to take the items back to the school. She said McKay took a blue iPhone back to the school and placed it near one of the school's doors, and the girl said she retrieved more items the suspects stole and returned them to the school's principal.
Another South incident
McKay and Andrew Burgermeister, 19, of Waukesha were also each charged last week with three misdemeanor theft charges for an incident last October at a Waukesha South football game.
According to the criminal complaint, a female student notified police that property belonging to band members had been stolen during an Oct. 10, 2013, football game. The girl, who was in the band, said about $50 was missing from three students. According to surveillance video from the high school, two males are seen entering the band room during the game.
The officer recognized the individuals as McKay and Burgermeister through prior contact with both of them, the complaint says.
The complaint says McKay and Burgermeister had no reason to be in the school at the time and were not a part of the band. McKay and Burgermeister told police they went into the band room during the game only to see a drum. However, the complaint says McKay said during the interview that "$50 ain't nothing" despite the officer not telling him how much money had been taken from the students.
The counts tied to the South thefts each call for up to nine months in jail and/or $10,000 in fines.