Parking Ticket Leads to Charges in Greendale Auto Theft

While parking tickets are an annoying nuisance for most people, a Milwaukee man is finding out they can also land you in jail if you get one after stealing a minivan from a Greendale driveway.

Robert A. Anderson, 19, was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Thursday with one count of taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent. If convicted, he faces up to 3 ½ years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

On Aug. 15, Anderson was on his way to a wedding when he got lost, so he decided to steal a 2002 Dodge Caravan parked in front of a home in the 6100 block of Churchwood Lane. He then drove it around for the remainder of the day and abandoned it several blocks from his home in Milwaukee.

Police found the van four days later and also discovered a parking ticket inside the van issued on the same day it was stolen. They discovered Anderson’s fingerprints on the ticket and on Tuesday he was arrested in Greenfield on auto theft charges.  

Anderson is currently being held in Milwaukee County Jail on $500 cash bail.