Man charged in connection with rash of vehicle thefts

An 18-year-old Milwaukee man accused of participating in a rash of car thefts and vehicle break-ins in Saukville and Belgium last month — some of which were caught on home surveillance video — has been charged in Ozaukee County Circuit Court with two felonies.

Dayzhaun T. Thompson faces one count of car theft and one count of identity theft for allegedly using a credit card stolen from a Saukville vehicle at a Milwaukee gas station.

According to the criminal complaint, on Feb. 9, police received reports of a 2019 Dodge Durango stolen from Saukville and a 2013 Ford Explorer taken from Belgium, as well as thefts from vehicles. In one case, a handgun, binoculars and sunglasses were stolen from a vehicle in Saukville.

Using surveillance video from nearby homes, authorities determined that the Durango was stolen at 1:50 a.m., then was seen driving through Saukville six minutes later following a white sedan.

The Durango and sedan were then captured on video in Belgium, where the Ford Explorer was seen being backed out of a driveway at 2:21 a.m. Another surveillance camera caught all three vehicles being driven together on Heritage Street.

A short time later, the owner of the Durango reported that someone had used and attempted to use one of his credit cards that was in his vehicle multiple times at three Milwaukee gas stations between 3 and 4 a.m.

Video from a Clark station on West National Avenue showed the driver of the stolen Durango walk into the station at 3:08 a.m. and make a $9.50 purchase with the credit card. He then tried to make a second purchase, but the card was declined and he drove away in the Durango.

Although the man was wearing a mask, he was identified by a distinctive hand tattoo as Thompson, who later admitted to using the stolen credit card, the complaint states.

Other video footage, taken at 3:33 a.m.,  shows the stolen Durango and Explorer pulling into a gas station on West Rogers Street in Milwaukee, where the driver of the Explorer attempted unsuccessfully to use the stolen credit card.

At 1:42 p.m. on the day of the vehicle thefts, the Durango, occupied by three males, was involved in a high-speed chase in Milwaukee that ended when the Durango blew through a red light and sped away from officers. SirusXM, a satellite radio service, found it in Milwaukee three days later.

Police found the stolen Ford Explorer in Milwaukee on Feb. 9, and inside of it was the credit card taken from the Durango. 

Saukville police were notified on March 2 that the gun stolen from a Saukvlle vehicle was found in the possession of a 17-year-old near the Southridge Shopping Mall in Greendale. 

During a Feb. 12 interview with Ozaukee County authorities, Thompson admitted driving the Durango and using the credit card at the Clark station but denied stealing the vehicle. He said friends came to his Milwaukee home in stolen vehicles and picked him up at 2 a.m. Thompson said he chose not to drive the Explorer because it had a Thin Blue Line flag sticker and other decals on it that led him to believe it belonged to a police officer, according to the complaint. 

Authorities contend Thompson lied about being picked up by friends because at 2 a.m. the stolen vehicles were in Ozaukee County, the complaint states.

If convicted of the felonies he is charged with in Ozaukee County Circuit Court, Thompson would face enhanced penalties because he is charged as a repeat offender due to a December 2020 conviction for fleeing authorities in Milwaukee County.

In that case, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by two years of extended supervision, but that sentence was stayed. He was placed on probation for two years and as a condition of probation was ordered to serve 90 days in jail. But that part of his sentence was also stayed, pending a review by his probation agent, according to court records.