On Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at 8:28 a.m., the Rock County 911 Center received a call from a witness that a black Honda Civic had struck some garbage cans in the City of Milton near the southern intersection of Brown Drive and Arthur Drive. The witness watched as the vehicle turned onto Arthur Drive and became disabled. The three male occupants left the vehicle running in the roadway and began heading north on foot through neighborhood back yards. Minutes later, the three suspects went to a house on Sue Lane, walked through an open garage door and went into the house through an unlocked door. The homeowners were inside and were confronted by the suspects. The suspects pointed handguns at the occupants of the house, demanding their vehicle keys. The suspects then stole a vehicle from their garage and fled the area. The vehicle was spotted by law enforcement heading north on the Interstate near Newville. Several law enforcement agencies attempted to pursue the vehicle on the Interstate and at various locations within the City of Madison. However, the vehicle eluded law enforcement each time a traffic stop was attempted. The vehicle was located abandoned in the Town of Madison at approximately 9:30 a.m. The vehicle that the suspects left disabled and abandoned in Milton was reported stolen from Madison in August.
The three male suspects were wearing jeans and zip up hoodies, had their faces covered and were wearing blue latex gloves. The witness stated they were likely in their 20s and appeared to be Hispanic or light skinned Black in color.
We currently believe that the suspects were in the area looking to commit other crimes of opportunity when the vehicle they had been driving hit a curb and became disabled. Coincidentally, the police department is also investigating a vehicle theft last week from the same neighborhood. That vehicle was also recovered in Madison days later. These incidents may be related as they occurred in the same small neighborhood one week apart. Most often, such thefts are crimes of opportunity involving suspects looking for cars and other property that are unsecured, easy to enter and easy to steal. I want to remind residents to redouble their efforts to use sound crime prevention techniques to keep vehicles and property secured so we avoid becoming an attractive area for criminals to return to for future crimes.
If you can provide any information about this incident, please call the Milton Police Department at (608)757-2244 or Crime Stoppers at (608)756-3636. Citizens can also download the FREE “P3 tips” app at the Apple store or Google Play store to submit crime tips ANONYMOUSLY.
Authority: Scott E. Marquardt, Chief of Police, City of Milton Police Department