Fedora-wearing man charged in heist
A man in a suit and a fedora who robbed more than $200,000 worth of jewelry from a West Allis store later pawned the goods for money to buy heroin, according to a criminal complaint.
Antowine Mitchell, 45, was in a hospital recovering from an apparent overdose about a month later when police got an anonymous phone call saying he was the suspect in the June 26 armed robbery at Paul’s Jewelers whose photo was shared in the news media.
The caller’s name appeared on caller ID as Steven Monroe. Earlier that day, he had called 911 about Mitchell, who was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Mitchell is now charged with two counts each of armed robbery and false imprisonment, along with armed carjacking. Monroe, 54, is charged with receiving stolen property and possession of heroin.
According to the complaint:
A Paul’s employee was entering the store shortly before noon June 26 when Mitchell, wearing a suit and a fedora, got behind her. He said he was having his watch repaired.
But after the woman was through the first of two security doors, she told police, she felt something in her back and Mitchell said it was a robbery. Once inside, he zip-tied the hands and ankles of two female employees, used a key to unlock display cases and took jewelry.
He also had gone through the first woman’s purse, taken her keys, and left the store in her Hyundai Sante Fe. It was found abandoned July 2 near South 99th Street and West Ohio Avenue. After they were sure Mitchell was gone, the two women struggled to reach a panic button, which summoned po- lice.
After Monroe turned Mitchell in, police learned that Monroe had pawned some of the stolen jewelry between July 5 and 12 at jewelry stores in Glendale, Greenfield and Milwaukee. More pieces from Paul’s Jewelry were recovered at Monroe’s residence in the 5500 block of North 76th Street.
Mitchell was arrested at the hospital. He told police he felt bad for the ladies he bound and claimed what looked like a gun to them and on surveillance video was actually something he fashioned from a milk carton. He said he was surprised the store had so much less inventory than mall jewelry stores.
Monroe told police Mitchell had asked to stay with him, and they bought and used heroin together.
Though he suspected the jewelry was stolen, Monroe said he pawned it and that he and Mitchell used the proceeds to buy more heroin, until Mitchell overdosed July 20.