Home was not where Caledonia Police took a man after he asked for a ride home from officers at 3:38 a.m. Tuesday, June 16 when they were called to the George Webb restaurant, 4955 Douglas Avenue, according to a criminal complaint by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office.
In two separate cases, Devone Kessler, 20, of Racine, was charged with misdemeanor counts of theft by the Racine County District Attorney’s office on Thursday, June 18. If convicted of both counts, Kessler faces up to 18 months in prison, and/or fined up to $20,000.
According to the criminal complaint, an officer with the Wind Point Police Department took a report of man going through a car and fleeing on foot in the 4900 block of Charles Street at 1:38 a.m. Tuesday. Kessler allegedly stole two pairs of glasses, and an ashtray. Two hours later, Caledonia Police responded to George Webb for a report of a fraud to an innkeeper complaint.
Caledonia Police noted that Kessler was inside the restaurant at the time and asked officers if he could have a ride home since he had been drinking. He told police where he lived and asked if he could use the officer’s phone to call his mom. The officer noticed that Kessler had a cut on his forehead, that his pants were torn and his shoes and pants were wet.
Asking Kessler to come outside, the officer arrested Kessler for underage drinking. When they searched him they found a Garmin GPS, a cell phone and a cable. An employee told the officer that Kessler paid for his dinner with change that was wet and had grass mixed with it. The officer noted that Kessler fit the description of the man that had fled the 4900 block of Charles Street.
When asked if he had gone into any vehicles and stole anything, Kessler told police that he didn’t. But then changed his story and said he may have, but he didn’t remember because he was drinking. On probation for a prior theft charge, Kessler was taken to the Racine County Jail on a probation hold because a condition of his bond was that he not consume alcohol.
When officers powered up the Garmin GPS and hit the home key, the address came back to a home in the 1900 block of 4 Mile Road, which is not Kessler’s address. Officers later found two SUVs at the address had been broken into. The owner of the vehicles told police that they were missing the Garmin.
On Monday, June 15, Racine Police took a report of theft of a cell phone from a residence in the 2700 block of Charles Street.