Trio busted for stealing from home under construction

Three men have been arrested for breaking into a home under construction, stealing building materials and causing interior damage.

According to the Wauwatosa police report:

The owner of a home under construction at 106th Street and Wisconsin Avenue said a painting crew arrived Oct. 31 to find a window open. Four boxes of drywall compound were missing and wiring had been cut and removed throughout the entire structure. Damage is estimated at more than $3,000, because the entire home will have to be rewired, a job made more difficult because the drywall is already in place.

The night before, an officer had pulled over a Jeep containing two Wauwatosa men, ages 22 and 23, and a 29-year-old Milwaukee man - familiar faces to local law enforcement. They had been arrested or interviewed in connection with past robberies, burglaries, thefts and drug crimes. They had large tangles of copper wire, tools such as hatchets and wire cutters, and other building materials in their vehicle.

At the time of the traffic stop, police hadn't yet been alerted to the burglary, and the men said the items belonged to a boss for whom they were during construction work.

The three were later arrested at the 23-year-old man's house.