Man spotted carrying cash register tracked down, arrested, police say

Tabatha Wethal by Tabatha Wethal

A man spotted carrying a cash register from a Janesville building early Sunday morning was tracked down and arrested, police said.

Janesville police said the department received a report at about 6:30 a.m. of a burglary at the Odd Fellows Lodge on North Main Street.

According to the report, a resident living in the building heard glass breaking and went outside to investigate. He saw a man walking down the back staircase of the building carrying a cash register. The resident followed him to a vehicle parked in the ramp next door and recognized him as a former Odd Fellows member who was arrested last year for a similar burglary at the same location.

As the suspect drove away in a silver pickup truck, the witness told a Rock County dispatcher the suspect’s name and described the vehicle. The dispatcher checked report records and found a license plate and local address where the suspect could have been headed.

Janesville officers went to a home in the 900 block of Caroline Street and found the truck and discovered that its engine was warm. The man, identified as 38-year-old Edmund J. Reetz, came outside as requested and was taken into custody.

Police said with cooperation from the homeowner, the cash drawer was found in the garage and the cash register was found in the ceiling. Clothing Reetz was wearing matched that on the video of the suspect inside the Odd Fellows and the nearby parking ramp.

Officials said Reetz was on bond for a previous burglary at the Odd Fellows that occurred on Oct. 7 and is a person of interest in a trespass and theft at a residence on Mitchell Street in Janesville.

Get your weather forecast from people who actually live in your community. We update with short, easy-to-use video forecasts you can watch on your phone every day. Download the iOS or Android app here.

COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.