News

Police nab area theft suspects

Although Madison Police Department caught four suspects allegedly responsible for the recent spree of area robberies Thursday, crime remains on the rise, as Chase Bank reported yet another armed robbery the same afternoon.

Officers responded to a call at the Chase Bank located at 1965 Atwood Ave., but upon arrival, were told the suspect had already escaped on foot. Witnesses described the suspect as a black male in his thirties, about 5 feet 6 inches tall.

According to a MPD release, the suspect entered the bank and presented a note demanding money. No one was harmed in the encounter, which marked the 21st robbery of the year.

Though bank robberies continue to surpass Madison's 2001 record, MPD's Public Information Officer Mike Hanson said excellent detective work led to Thursday's arrests. He said officers identified Sven Heilskov, Bradley Tolson and Georgianna Smith as three of five suspects involved in a "community robbery ring."

"It was a combination of evidence, video surveillance and witness statements that really turned this corner for us," he said.

Hanson said the fourth suspect, David Bracey, was killed in a police shootout Sept. 16 in Wisconsin Dells, and was being investigated for a variety of other crimes. Smith was also present during the shootout, Hanson added, and detectives were therefore able to obtain additional information on the host of crimes and make connections between them.

Heilskov, Tolson and Smith were taken into custody at the Dane County Jail and face several felony charges each, Hanson noted, but the fifth suspect has not been identified. Officers reported the final suspect as a black male in his fifties, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a mustache, goatee and a raspy voice.

"I am proud of the detectives who worked so hard to make these arrests," Police Chief Noble Wray said in a release. "With a crime ring as large as this, with so many reports, witnesses and evidence to examine, this clearly illustrates the competence and thoroughness of our detectives."

In addition to the crime ring, Hanson said detectives also linked Andre Patton, caught for armed robbery last week, to several other crimes. He is being held for six counts of armed robbery, one count of attempted armed robbery and two cases of armed robberies from 2005.

Hanson also said the MPD arrested all the suspects for a variety of robberies, from banks to convenience stores. Yet despite their hard work, detectives are still uncertain how much money thieves stole in total, he added.

"[The amount of stolen funds] is still being investigated," Hanson said. "But we may never even know that total."