Smoke Shop Burglarized Early Monday Morning

For Brian O’Connor, owner of the in Menomonee Falls, the mild weather was a welcome sign Monday as his front door was wide open.

Unfortunately, his door was left open because it isn’t there anymore. It was the casualty of an early morning burglary that occurred at the business, which is located at N81W15092 Appleton Ave. in the Falls Plaza I shopping center. According to Capt. Mark Waters of the Menomonee Falls Police Department, two masked individuals broke into the store at 4:03 a.m. Monday.

Just 45 seconds later the two thieves stole roughly $2,000 worth of Newport cigarettes, O’Connor said. However, apart from the door and the Newport cigarettes, the rest of the store was left undamaged.

O’Connor’s surveillance and alarm system worked as it should, and officers were dispatched just minutes after the incident occurred. When officers arrived, the glass door was cracked in several places, the lock was popped, and the door was ajar.

Officers, along with a canine unit from the Butler Police Department, cleared the scene shortly after. Both individuals had fled prior to first responders arriving.

“I was really impressed with the man hours and services the police department provided this morning,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor usually opens at 9 a.m., but was on the clock since about 4:30 a.m. Monday. He said it’s unfortunate his business was burglarized, but the losses were limited. O’Connor has owned the business just over a year, and this is the first incident that occurred at his store.

Waters said police are still investigating Monday’s burglary.