Get your copy of our weekly print products at any of these convenient locations.

Cleaning crew fingers burglars at Westport tavern

The Capital Times  —  7/04/2008 1:02 pm

Dane County Sheriff's Deputies arrested two men in connection with an early morning robbery Thursday at JJ's Top of the Swamp tavern in the town of Westport.

The suspects were in the process of breaking into a storage building outside the tavern -- located at 5344 Highway 113 -- when they were interrupted by a cleaning crew arriving at the location. The men jumped into their van and fled the scene, but the crew was able to give authorities a detailed description of their vehicle.

Sheriff's Deputies caught up with the men 20 minutes later on Pennsylvania Avenue in Madison.

Joseph Larue, 42, of Madison, was arrested for burglary, criminal damage to property and carrying a concealed weapon. Mark Hall, 45, also of Madison, was arrested for criminal damage to property and party to a crime of burglary. Both men are being held in the Dane County Jail.

When contacted Friday morning, a bartender at JJ's Top of the Swamp said that there apparently was no attempt to break into the tavern itself.

A search of the van revealed large quantities of aluminum, including bags of cans and window and door frames, which appear to be from a commercial building, police said.

Deputies will continue to investigate the suspects' connections to other burglaries in the area. Anyone with information to these crimes is asked to call the Dane County Tip Line at 284-6900.

The Capital Times  —  7/04/2008 1:02 pm