"Out on bail:" Busted by fingerprints, prosecutors say man broke into pharmacy twice in less than a year

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee man is accused of committing the same crime that landed him in jail in the first place. Investigators say he broke into the Hayat Pharmacy twice in less than a year.

Surveillance cameras captured the man breaking into the Hayat Pharmacy at 85th and Capitol in mid-July -- busting through a door in search of one thing.

"He walked in, went straight to the 'P' section looking for the promethazine with codeine. We were smart enough not to keep it on the shelf," Hashim Zaibak owner of Hayat Pharmacy said.

Fingerprints helped lead police to 21-year-old Dannell Griffin, a man Zaibak said he's familiar with.

"He's actually the same guy who targeted us in 2016 and he was out on bail," Zaibak said.

Griffin is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail. Court records show Griffin was arrested for breaking into the pharmacy in the fall of 2016. He was awaiting trial, and posted a $1,500 bond. A warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to appear in court.

"It's a continuous battle," Zaibak said.

The burglaries have become all-too-common at Hayat Pharmacy. In 2016, pharmacies were broken into 17 times, and six times already in 2017. It's led to new security measures -- including the strengthening of doors and windows, and locking up certain drugs like promethazine with codeine.

"They're getting inside the pharmacy, but they're not getting the medication," Zaibak said.

Zaibak said he hopes with the latest arrest, the break-ins will stop, so he can get back to what's important.

"Hopefully in the future this will deter them and stop them from coming back, so we can focus on taking care of our patients," Zaibak said.