Milwaukee apartment burglaries; man charged, found hiding underneath mattress

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man has been criminally charged in connection with two separate burglaries at an apartment building in Milwaukee. The students who live there attend Marquette University. When police attempted to arrest the defendant, prosecutors say he fled in his vehicle, damaging a Marquette University police squad car. 

The accused, Rogelio Guarnero, is charged with the following: 

• 2 counts of burglary of a building or dwelling
• 2 counts of second degree recklessly endangering safety
• Hit-and-run – attended vehicle
• Operating a motor vehicle to flee or in an attempt to elude an officer

1st burglary 

What we know:

According to the criminal complaint, on Sunday, May 4, a student at Marquette University reported that a man, later identified as Rogelio Guarnero, entered her apartment without permission through the unlocked door. The victim said the incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. She claims the man said "hey" and subsequently left. 

Approximately an hour later, the victim noticed that her clutch purse and keys were missing. 

2nd burglary

What we know:

Per the complaint, another student at Marquette University, who lives in the same apartment as the previous victim, reported that he returned to his suite at approximately 8:30 p.m. on May 4 and found that his suite had recently been burglarized. 

Court filings say the victim was missing a Marquette backpack, a laptop, some costume jewelry, and a PlayStation. Additionally, the student reported that he found a clutch purse in his suite and did not know how it got there. 

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Investigation on Marquette Campus

Dig deeper:

Based on a description of the man, Marquette University police developed a suspect, Rogelio Guarnero. Police say Guarnero was observed on Marquette University security cameras "piggybacking" into the building, trying doors on parked cars in the parking lot, and wandering around the block, court filings say. 

According to the complaint, Guarnero was identifiable due to tattoos and distinctive jeans that were ripped or shredded. Officers also developed a suspect vehicle, a silver Chevrolet Malibu.

On Monday, May 5, a Marquette University police officer went to Russel Metals in Milwaukee after the victim's stolen laptop pinged to that location. 

Management at Russel Metals stated that one of the temp employees operated a silver Malibu. This employee was identified as Rogelio Guarnero. 

The Marquette officer viewed internal security video from Russel Metals that showed Guarnero at work, arriving in a silver Malibu vehicle, and wearing a Marquette backpack that appeared to match that stolen from the apartment on May 4. 

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According to the complaint, as Guarnero arrived at work on May 5, multiple uniformed Marquette University police officers converged on Guarnero in the Chevrolet vehicle – and Guarnero was ordered out of the vehicle. 

Court filings say Guarnero did not exit his vehicle, but rather reversed into and damaged an occupied and marked Marquette University police squad car. 

Guarnero then sped off, disregarding officers' commands to stop, the complaint states. Marked squad cars pursued for a brief time before discontinuing the pursuit. Guarnero did not return to work.

Rogelio Guarnero arrested

What we know:

According to the criminal complaint, on Tuesday, May 6, around 11:45 p.m., police located the silver Malibu in the area of 37th and Scott. Guarnero was found hiding underneath a mattress in a residence at that location and was taken into custody, court filings say. 

The complaint states that Guarnero had costume jewelry hidden in his groin area. 

Court proceedings

What's next:

Guarnero made his initial appearance in court on May 11. Cash bond was set at $11,000. 

He is due back in court on May 21 for a preliminary hearing. 

Crime and Public SafetyMilwaukeeNews