Payday Lender Takes Car, Woman Steals It Back

A woman was driving a car through Brookfield that she stole from the Milwaukee Auto Auction after it had been repossessed by a payday loan store.

Tanisha R. Spivey, 28, of Milwaukee, was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court Tuesday with one count of operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent. If convicted, she faces up to 3 ½ years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

A Brookfield officer pulled over a car driven by Spivey May 24 near 124^th Street and North Avenue in Brookfield after the VIN of the car showed it was reported stolen by the Milwaukee Police Department. Spivey denied it had been stolen and told the officer she had used it as collateral to get a loan from a Pay Day Loan Store located near North 60^th Street and Capitol Drive.

Police learned the vehicle had been repossessed by the loan services and then stolen from the auto auction location on Brown Deer Road. Spivey had been to the lot to retrieve personal property from the car.

Spivey is scheduled to make her initial appearance in court Jan. 9.