Cover me; I’m going in for groceries

ANNOUNCEMENT: David Blaska is selling his naming rights to the highest bidder. We like the sound of “American Family Insurance Blaska.” Do I hear $100? Badda- badda badda — a-hunnert, a-hunnert, a-hunnert … Fifty, fifty, fifty …

We devote the remainder of today’s snowbound edition to Madison’s notorious School-to-Prison pipeline. Personally, we blame the police, implicit racism, and the NFL referees in that Rams-Saints game. We take this directly from the Madison Police daily incident report:

1) Tuesday, 01/22/2019 – 7:31 AM [a school day for some]
Male, age 15, Madison; Teen was arrested for operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent and resisting.

A Berkshire Road resident started her Range Rover this morning and left it unattended outside of her home for a few minutes while it warmed up. That was enough time for two teens to jump in the luxury SUV and take off. A MPD officer spotted the Range Rover shortly after 8 a.m. and followed it as it turned into the McDonald’s parking lot on Odana Rd.

The suspects jumped out, but did not put the Range Rover in park. It rolled into another parked car, causing an accident. The MPD officer chased after the driver who eventually ran into Memorial High School where he was arrested and taken to the Juvenile Reception Center.

2) Tuesday, 01/22/2019 – 7:28 AM
600 block Struck St.
A mother had left her blue 2012 Chevy Equinox unlocked and running this morning as she took her child into a daycare in the 600 block of Struck St. When she got back outside, her SUV was gone. The daycare has no outside cameras, and there is no suspect information.

3) Monday 01/21/2019 – 10:48 AM
Odana Rd @ Odana Ln (Bus stop)
Suspect(s): Lighter-skinned m/b, younger, possibly around 20 years old, approximately 6’3″, really skinny, wearing a dark colored thin jacket and dark pants.

Victim(s): Adult female
The victim was waiting for a bus in the bus stop on Odana Rd by Odana Ln when the suspect came up to her, asked her something, then grabbed her purse that was on the bench next to her and ran to a darker red SUV-type vehicle. He was getting into the passenger side door and the victim followed, trying to grab at the purse to get it back.  The suspect pushed her down to the ground and got into the vehicle, which left the scene. The purse was located nearby but it was empty and contents gone. The victim was uninjured.

4) It appears likely this suspect had first attempted a strong-armed robbery at Woodman’s at 711 S. Gammon Rd. In that case the female adult victim held onto the purse and was dragged about 15 feet before the suspect let go and got into the passenger side door of a burgundy Ford Escape which had been reported stolen in early January.  The victim was uninjured in that case. The driver of the vehicle in that incident was reported to be a m/b. This occurred at approximately 10:35 am.

5) At approximately 10:45 am there was another attempted strong-armed robbery in the parking lot of Hy-Vee at 675 S. Whitney Way where a young m/b suspect which the victim thought to be less than high school-age tried to grab the purse off the shoulder of an adult female who was putting groceries in her vehicle. After she yelled the suspect left without the purse and got into the passenger side of a darker red SUV, which left.

From there it seems they went directly to the bus stop at Odana Rd/Odana Ln and committed the strong-armed robbery.

The stolen burgundy Ford Escape mentioned in the Woodman’s robbery incident was recovered in Sun Prairie this evening. The investigation of all three of these robbery incidents is ongoing at this time.

Are you following this?

6) 2:13 p.m. Tuesday 01-22-19 — Officers responded to Memorial High School for a disturbance.  It was reported that two subjects/suspects (two 17-year-old AAMs) were “play fighting.”  The “play fight” subsequently escalated to a real fight.

A victim (17-year-old AAM) sustained visible injuries and required stitches, as a result of the fight. After an investigation took place and video evidence was reviewed, one of the suspects was charged with disorderly conduct and substantial battery.  The other suspect was cited with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and released.

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Could we add drivers’ ed to the restorative justice program?