Couple Bilk Shorewood Homeowner After Being Offered Place to Stay: Police

A Michigan couple is accused of stealing thousands in property and racking up hundreds in fraudulent credit card charges, after claiming they didn’t have a place to stay while in Milwaukee to visit their sick father and were invited into a Shorewood resident's home. 

Sarah L. Demerath, 31, and Andrew Paul Zane,, 27, were each charged with felony theft of property valued between $5,000 and $10,000. Both entered not guilty pleas during court appearances on Thursday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

If convicted, they could face up to six years imprisonment, $10,000 in fines, or both. 

According to the criminal complaint:

On May 13, Shorewood police responded to a home in the 4300 block of North Marlborough Drive for a report of a theft. The victim told police he had met a woman known to him as Sarah about two weeks ago, and gave her $80 so she could take the train to the VA Hospital to visit her father. They also exchanged phone numbers. 

The victim told police that on May 9 Sarah called him and said she was in town and didn’t have a place to stay. He allowed Sarah and her cousin, Drew, to stay at his Shorewood home. The following morning, the victim left his home to take his wife to work and when he returned,  Sarah and Drew were gone. 

A few days later, he noticed several items were missing including a $1,000 pearl necklace, coin collections worth $1,400, three sets of sapphire and diamond earrings valued at $700 each along with 10 other items. In all, the stolen property was worth $7,500. 

On May 14, a Shorewood detective visited a pawnshop in Milwaukee, which provided copy of records of the stolen items being sold by Demerath. The detective also obtained surveillance video of the transaction, which also included a man. The victim’s credit card was also used 11 times to rack up $473 in fraudulent charges at various retailers in the Milwaukee area. Additionally, two checks written out to Andrew Zane for $760 had been cashed. 

Authorities eventually tracked Zane and Demerath to a hotel in Milwaukee, where the two were arrested. Police say there was drug paraphernalia in the hotel and receipts for fraudulent charges made using the victim’s credit card. 

During questioning, Zane admitted to stealing the property from the victim’s home and also told police he, along with Demerath, used money from the sale of the stolen items at the pawn shop and gift cards bought at retailers using the victim’s credit card to pay for the hotel room. 

He added the two are from Michigan and traveled to Milwaukee to see Demerath’s grandfather, who is being treated for cancer. Demerath's entire family was in Milwaukee, but had since returned to Michigan, but they decided to stay. 

Two two suspects remain in the Milwaukee County Jail and are due in court on June 17.