Police check mysterious locker at mall
JANESVILLE — Janesville police spent two hours at the Janesville Mall on Monday night investigating a suspicious package by a Dumpster next to the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant, 2500 Milton Ave.
Responding to the scene at 5:51 p.m., police found a small metal locker with two locked doors. After checking with staff of mall businesses, nobody admitted to putting the locker where it was found, said patrol supervisor Sgt. Chas. Aagaard.
Upon further investigation, a female employee of Waldenbooks said she’d seen the locker before. A person leaving the restaurant reported seeing a man dressed in a green tuxedo and magician’s hat near the dumpster.
Officers then saw the man exit Sears. Police questioned the man, who admitted being near the Dumpster. However, he said he didn’t put the locker there, Aagaard said.
Later, officers learned a Waldenbooks’ manager who wasn’t at the mall when the investigation began admitted to placing the locker near the Dumpster. She told police the locker contained old forms she was throwing away, and that she couldn’t lift the locker to get it in the Dumpster, Aagaard said.
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By GAZETTE STAFF 05/27/12
Nov 25, 2007 at 11:30 p.m.
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I think that the writers need to start picking their stories better. Was it really worth it?
Anyways, why in the world would someone put a bomb by the Janesville mall. I mean really, that just doesn't make sense if you ask me.
Nov 21, 2007 at 10:30 p.m.
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What may be suspicious to one may not be to another! That is why we have to many CRAZY people in this world. How about we all mind our own business and get on with our day instead of calling the police about TRASH!
Nov 21, 2007 at 4:44 p.m.
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Remind me to tell all my neighbors the next time I put my trash out so no one thinks there's a bomb in it. C'mon, be realistic.
Nov 21, 2007 at 3:21 p.m.
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LMAO what a funny story. Yeah what are the odds of a weirdo in a green tuxedo being in the mall at the time a mystery locker was in the dumpster..ha ha this is funny!!!
Nov 21, 2007 at 1:11 p.m.
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Woodchuck - sounds like illegal activity in your locker to me!
Nov 21, 2007 at 8:10 a.m.
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Blackirish, thanks for the laugh!!! Now that I am done with the coffee comming out of my nose, I will be fine. LOL.
Nov 21, 2007 at 7:57 a.m.
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The cops don't seem to have any problem with forcing their way into peoples homes. Maybe they could learn to force their way into suspicious lockers, too!
Nov 20, 2007 at 11:02 p.m.
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A green tuxedo and a magician's hat? Can't seem to get that one out of my head... Who knows maybe it'll start a new fashion trend;)
To BlackIrish: That was hillarious!
Nov 20, 2007 at 10:34 p.m.
Nov 20, 2007 at 10:03 p.m.
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Scottysgirl - I think your overreacting! Why would you think to tell someone that you have junk you want to throw out, and it just so happens to be a locker. Get real! This story definitely didnt need to make it into the gazette!
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Amber86: The locker obviously looked suspicious.
I don't know about the mall security, but when I did security and saw something suspicious...I checked it out. That's what security is for. Sure, it could have been 'just a locker' but it also could have been a lot of things. Could have been a bomb or severed head or something. Heh. Anyway, I've had employees of clients that I've guarded for tell me if they were doing something that would look suspicious or dangerous to an average onlooker. It's not unheard of. Maybe the bookstore manager didn't think a locker next to a dumpster looked "dangeous".
Nov 20, 2007 at 6:58 p.m.
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Obviously, the staff reporter should have investigated the identity and activities of the green tuxedoed magician. He may well have been sent by some competitor of Chuck E. Cheese to test the viability of materializing an explosive approximate to its competitor for the purpose of reducing competition in the saturated pizza industry.
Nov 20, 2007 at 6:09 p.m.
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Scottysgirl - I think your overreacting! Why would you think to tell someone that you have junk you want to throw out, and it just so happens to be a locker. Get real! This story definitely didnt need to make it into the gazette!
Nov 20, 2007 at 5:39 p.m.
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I'm just saying that she should have told someone. By leaving a locked box/locker there someone would think it's a bomb or something. She should have either gotten help to put it in the dumpster or told someone.
Nov 20, 2007 at 4:47 p.m.
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LOL @ Green Tuxedo and Magician's hat. Sounds like a regular guy to me.
Nov 20, 2007 at 4:19 p.m.
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i was there last night, around 8:30 there were cops near the Sears area, I was like Ohhh my gosh! Its good to know it was nothing, but the man in the green tuxedo with a magician hat? what the heck is that all about? If I would have seen him I would have thought something was up! Thats just weird! Can we say CREEPY??
Nov 20, 2007 at 3:34 p.m.
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Ok....let's just go back to "a man dressed in a green tuxedo and magician’s hat." That is hysterical!!! What are the odds of that???
Nov 20, 2007 at 1:03 p.m.
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scottysgirl05:
If you haave ever dealt with mall security, you know they are a joke. While some of them are nice people who work hard, many of the ones I deal with on a daily basis are power tripping doofs who carry a plastic dollar store badge. Even if she had told security, atleast at "my mall", they wouldn't remember OR worse yet, they'd threaten to fine her for something ridiculous.
Must be a slow news day in Janesville!
Nov 20, 2007 at 12:52 p.m.
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What's with the heavy use of the word "admitted" It tends to suggest hesitance on the part of the people interviewed, as in "he finally admitted to doing it". The clerk left the locker near the dumpster, the man in the magicians hat stated he was near the locker etc. Seems like the writer was trying make a bit more out of the incident than was really there. In reality there wasn't much of a story to begin with :)
Nov 20, 2007 at 12:24 p.m.
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Why would it occur to her to tell security about something she threw away?
Nov 20, 2007 at 11:37 a.m.
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She couldn't have told security before she left????
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