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Hartland comic book theft
A Milwaukee man is accused of stealing valuable comic books from a Hartland storage locker where he worked.
HARTLAND, Wis. - Police say someone stole thousands of dollars worth of comic books from a Hartland storage center.
Comic book theft
What we know:
Comic books have entertained generations. But in 2024, at a Hartland storage facility, a real-life plot unfolded that was anything but "comic."
FreeUp Storage, Hartland
Investigators say a man went to get his comic book collection from storage and noticed roughly two dozen books missing. Police say the victim searched online and found his copy of 1963's "X-Men #1" for sale on Facebook Marketplace. He said the man selling his books was the employee who rented him his storage locker.
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No one answered when we knocked at the defendant's Milwaukee home on Monday, Sept. 15. Instead, we found 33-year-old Justin Hefter Wieloch heading out the back door.
What they're saying:
"What happened to the comic books?" asked FOX6's Bret Lemoine.
"I can’t make that statement, because I have a lawyer," said Hefter Wieloch.
Justin Hefter Wieloch
Prosecutors charged Hefter Wieloch with felony theft and burglary.
Renters FOX6 News spoke with on Monday said there are multiple locks and codes that need to be entered before people can access their belongings.
Search of defendant's home
Dig deeper:
Police said a search of Hefter Wieloch's home turned up all but four of the missing comic books. Investigators said the defendant ultimately got a little more than $8,000 for "X-Men #1" on ebay.
On Hefter WIeloch's cellphone, police said he texted his girlfriend, "The comic is worth enough to buy a new house." Police found pictures of the comics taken at "FreeUp Storage" on Hefter Wieloch's phone.
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Hefter Wieloch would not share his attorney's name with FOX6 News. But prosecutors add that on Hefter Wieloch's work computer, the defendant Googled, "where to sell $25000 comic books."
Hefter Wieloch will be in Waukesha County court for his initial appearance on Oct. 2.
FreeUp Storage statement
What they're saying:
Randy Trapanick, Director of Operations for FreeUp Storage, offered up the following statement on this matter:
"When we were alerted to the accusations against and arrest of Mr. Weiloch over a year ago, he was terminated as a FreeUp Storage employee effective immediately. Our team cooperated with local law enforcement. We cannot provide further comment on this ongoing investigation."
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case and FOX6 News.