Oak Creek Smoke Shop Burglars Caught, Charged

OAK CREEK, WI — Two Oak Creek men have been arrested and charged in connection with a June 22 burglary at Discount Smokes and Spirits after police caught the plate number on their getaway car.

Avery Bilansky and Mohamed Musa have both been charged with two counts of felony burglary and could face up to 15 years behind bars if they are convicted.

According to their criminal complaints, on June 22, Oak Creek police reported that they responded to a burglar alarm at Discount Smokes and Spirits.

Upon arrival, police noticed that the business appeared broken into with shattered glass strewn about, ransacked, with items missing, including $200 in cash. Police reviewed surveillance video with a store employee. Two subjects, later identified as Musa and Bilansky are scene on that video entering the store, the complaint stated.

The license plate of their getaway vehicle listed to a person on the 2500 block of East Honeysuckle Drive.

When police looked through the window of the vehicle, inside the vehicle, in plain view, an officer noticed a black eye mask, black gloves, a black backpack, blue shoes with gold lettering and a grey sweatshirt with lettering across the front, all consistent with what one of the suspects was seen wearing in the surveillance video, police reported.

According to their criminal complaints, a search warrant of Musa’s residence revealed a backpack, among other things. Inside of the backpack belonging to Musa were several packs of cigarettes, smoke vapor fluid refills, multi-colored marijuana pipes, a water bong, and $200 in cash.

An investigation which included a dog track led to the home of the second suspect, Avery Bilansky on South Chapel Drive which is in the vicinity of Discount Smokes and Spirits and directly connected to Montana Avenue, their criminal complaint stated.

According to police, Bilansky was cooperative with officers, and admitted to his own involvement in the burglary along with Musa. Bilansky stated that he and Musa were involved and no one else.

Bilansky admitted to taking lemonade from the store, while Musa grabbed most of the other items stolen out of the store, police reported.

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