Crime & Safety
Two Charged With Stealing From Caledonia Cars, Gas
Suspects allegedly had several cans of gas in the trunk, which had been put in sideways and leaking while a drunk 17-year-old girl was sitting in the back seat.
Two Racine men are facing charges after they allegedly stole items from cars and a garage in Caledonia.
Joshua R. Larson, 20 and Ricky M. Steil, 25, were charged in Racine County Circuit Court Monday with one count of burglary. If convicted, they face up to 12 ½ years in prison and $25,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint:
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At 11:22 p.m. Saturday, police were called to a home in the 4500 block of Scout Trail after a resident there noticed someone had rummaged through cars parked in their driveway and in the garage, and a gas can was missing from the home.
Police began to look around the area and found a car owned by Larson parked in the street. The car had a very strong smell of gas inside and a drunk 17-year-old girl was sitting in the back with a bottle of alcohol by her feet.
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The officer was concerned about the girl because of the strong gas smell in the car and had her get out. Officers searched the car and found a GPS unit in the car along with multiple gas cans in the trunk which were put in sideways and appeared to be leaking.
The officer was concerned about the girl because of the strong gas smell in the car and had her get out. Officers searched the car and found a GPS unit in the car along with multiple gas cans in the trunk which were put in sideways and appeared to be leaking.
Steil was located by police nearby and was full of grass. He told police he was asked by Larson to come move his car off the street and that he had done nothing wrong.
The girl told officers Larson is her boyfriend and they had spent the day drinking at his home, driving to Grant Park to smoke marijuana and going to several other homes. They were driving back to Larson’s house when he and Steil decided to stop and steal stuff from unlocked cars.
They stopped in an area and Steil took out his wallet and tossed it at the girl, saying he didn’t want to lose it. He returned later and bragged to Larson that he had gotten gas for the car.
They then drove a short distance and parked the car again, but the girl said police arrived before the two made it back to the car.
