Open windows open door to purse thefts

Purses were snatched from three Wauwatosa homes Tuesday morning while the owners were sleeping.

In each case, a burglar broke the screen on a window that had been left open. A long branch or pole was used to reach into the home and hook the purse handles, according to Wauwatosa Police Department reports.

According to the reports:

The first call came in about 3 a.m. from residents of the 2600 block of North 75th Street. They found the purse on the ground outside the window, but the contents were missing. Also, a phone charger and loose change had been taken from an unlocked car.

The next call came at 5 a.m. from residents in the 700 block of Livingston Avenue. The owners awoke to a noise at 1 a.m. but after a quick look around decided to go back to sleep. When they got up again, they noticed the window screen was torn and a purse was missing.

In the third burglary, two purses were taken from a home in the 2500 block of North 80th Street. The newspaper carrier saw property strewn on the sidewalk and saw squad cars in the area so she deduced something was amiss. When police arrived, they found a window screen in the grass and a pole out of place. The burglar had grabbed two purses that had been slung over a kitchen chair. A neighbor found those purses in her bushes.