Picture This: Failed as a House-Sitter, Man Helps Police Nab a Thief

A 20-year-old Fox Point man house- and dog-sitting for a woman in the 8200 block of Gray Log Lane found trouble when he added a couple of women to the mix. But he righted the wrong when he provided police photo evidence to make a theft arrest.

The man came to the on April 8 to report that a purse belonging to the homeowner and a pair of his 2-carat-weight diamond earrings had been stolen. Little did he know that was just the beginning.

According to the report:

About 4 a.m., the man’s friend brought two girls over to the house. At 5:15 a.m., the two girls left the house and he noticed that one of them was wearing a woman’s top and jeans, different from what she was wearing earlier. Her purse was also different. The man told her the clothes were not hers, but she left anyway.

Later, he discovered the earrings and purse were missing. He texted one of the girls, who said her friend — a 22-year-old from Utah — “unintentionally stole the purse, pants, shirt and earrings.” He tracked the girl who took the items and she said she would bring back the items on Wednesday.

Officers spoke to the 22-year-old via telephone on April 9. She admitted to having the purse and confirmed she would bring it back on Wednesday. She denied taking the earrings. She also denied taking the clothing, saying she put the items on but changed back into her miniskirt before leaving.

When the homeowner returned, she found a plethora of other items missing, including:

• Gustto Purse, valued at $700
• Turquoise necklace, $250
• 1950s vintage silver snake bracelet, $100
• Cosmetics, $250
• Silver wide band ring with tiger eye stone, $80
• Four perfume bottles, $60
• Black scarf with colored skull print, $20

The girl told police that the man house-sitting told was drunk and told her she could borrow clothes from the owner and the purse to pick up some alcohol. She told police, “If I wanted to steal this purse, I would have turned off my phone and went back to Utah.”

Since she had permission to use the purse and subsequently returned it, she was not arrested for theft at that time.

However, the man came back to the police station on April 25 with a photo of the girl showing off the stolen jewelry at a nearby bar. Police tracked her down to her mother's home in West Bend, where she was arrested and cited for theft and obstructing an officer.