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Crime & Safety

It's A Rental, Man Tells Police When Caught Behind the Wheel of Stolen Cars

A 18-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of stealing at least four different cars from several North Shore neighborhoods, including Shorewood, Whitefish Bay and Fox Point.

A Milwaukee man is accused of stealing cars across the North Shore, then giving police officers the same story each time he's caught behind the wheel.

Dominick Parrish Cole, 18, was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Thursday with four counts of operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison and $40,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

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At 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 23, a Shorewood woman living in the 3500 block of North Lake Drive contacted police officers after she discovered someone had taken her 2008 Infiniti G-35 while it was parked in her driveway. The woman said the vehicle was in her driveway for 1 1/2 hours with the key fob inside and when she came outside, the car was gone, but a bicycle was in her bushes.

The car was found by Shorewood police officers at 9:20 that night in the 3000 block of North 8th Street in Milwaukee. Cole was driving the car and claimed he rented it from someone named "Little Reggie" for $40 and he didn't know the car was stolen.

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However, it wasn't the first time Cole found himself behind the wheel of a stolen car he supposedly rented.

On June 29, Cole was pulled over by Milwaukee police officers in the 3000 block of North 16th Street driving a 2006 Cadillac CTS that had been stolen from behind a Fox Point home three days prior. During that traffic stop, Cole said he rented the car from someone named "Schmitty" he met on the east side, but had no paperwork to show it was rented.

On Jan. 3, Cole was caught in the 2400 block of North Oakland Avenue driving a 2007 Honda CRV, which had been stolen from a home in the 5200 block of Diversey Boulevard in Whitefish Bay on Dec. 30. On that occasion, Cole said he rented the SUV for $50 from a man named "Jaron," but didn't have paperwork to prove so.

On Dec. 6, Cole was found driving a stolen 2008 Lexus 250 rental car in the 3000 block of North 9th Street and claimed it was rented and on Oct. 27, 2011, Cole was caught by Glendale police officers in the Bayshore Mall parking lot driving a 2008 Honda Civic reported stolen from the 2200 block of Linwood Avenue. On that occasion, you guessed it, Cole once again claimed the car had been rented from a man named "Niko," for $50 and he didn't have any paperwork to prove it.

Cole's history of driving stolen cars also extends to Waukesha County, where he's currently on probation for a similar charge there. He's currently being held on $5,000 bail and ordered to the JUSTICE 2000 program for supervision while awaiting trial.

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