Union Grove purse theft leads to arrests of Ohio man, woman
Jacob Brofford, Erica Mcelfresh
UNION GROVE, Wis. - A Columbus, Ohio man and woman are in police custody suspected of stealing purses from vehicles, and then using credit cards from those purses on purchases in Racine County.
Purse theft leads to arrests
What we know:
The Racine County Sheriff's Office said shortly before 1 a.m. on Sept. 24, a deputy responded to a residence on 57th Drive in Union Grove for a report of a purse that was taken from a parked vehicle. The deputy was informed that someone had attempted to use the victim’s credit card at Walmart.
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The deputy responded to Walmart and obtained video footage of a white male attempting to use the victim’s credit card. The deputy was also able to obtain video footage of the suspect getting into a white vehicle which was similar to a vehicle related to another theft from vehicle that occurred on Sept. 21.
Sept. 21 theft investigated
What we know:
On Sept. 21, the same deputy investigated a theft from a vehicle at a residence on 67th Drive, also in Union Grove. The victim reported that her purse and wallet – containing credit/debit cards, identification cards, and cash – was taken from her vehicle.
The deputy was able to determine that the victim’s debit card was used at the Speedway on Highway 20 and Emmertsen Road in Mount Pleasant. The deputy obtained additional video footage of the suspect’s vehicle and could more accurately describe it as a white Mazda 6 with a noticeable temporary tag displayed in the rear window.
Tapping into Flock camera system
Dig deeper:
The deputy teamed up with investigators with the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Bureau and utilized Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR’s) through Flock cameras to identify the exact Ohio registration number, which was registered to 37-year-old Erica Mcelfresh from Columbus, Ohio. The vehicle’s VIN was associated with 42-year-old Jacob Brofford, also from Columbus, Ohio.
A news release says the deputy was able to determine that Brofford had a criminal history of breaking into vehicles, and the deputy identified Brofford as the suspect in both Union Grove thefts.
Vehicle located
What we know:
On Sept. 25, deputies located the suspect vehicle in the parking lot of the Staybridge Hotel in Mount Pleasant. When deputies contacted Mcelfresh, officials said she lied about the vehicle and Brofford’s whereabouts. The deputies placed Mcelfresh under arrest for obstructing.
A Sheriff’s K-9 team deployed K-9 Simba for an open-air sniff of the vehicle. It resulted in a positive alert. Deputies searched the vehicle and located one victim’s purse and clothing worn by Brofford when he used the stolen debit card.
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CIB investigators obtained a search warrant for the suspects’ room, where deputies located Brofford. The news release says during a search of the room, deputies located drug paraphernalia and additional items belonging to both victims.
Deputies transported Mcelfresh and Brofford to the Racine County Jail, and charging recommendations were forwarded to the Racine County District Attorney’s Office, where charges were issued against both suspects.
Charges referred
What we know:
Mcelfresh has an adjourned initial appearance in Racine County where she will be charged with Obstructing an Officer and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Brofford was charged in Racine County with the following:
- Theft (Two counts)
- Misappropriate Personal Identification Information (Three counts)
- Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card (Two counts)
- Attempted Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Brofford had his initial appearance on Sept. 26. He received a $5,000 bond with conditions, and he is currently an inmate at the Racine County Jail.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by the Racine County Sheriff's Office.