What started as extra patrol in rural Monroe County early Friday quickly turned into a burglary bust, after a sheriff's sergeant spotted a suspicious vehicle near a Kendall convenience store and pulled it over, officials said.
According to a sheriff’s office press release reported by WEAU, the May 1 traffic stop led investigators to connect the vehicle’s occupants to several earlier break-ins at the Kendall Fast Trip. Deputies say the pair were in the middle of burglarizing the business when they were detained, and both were taken to the Monroe County Jail.
Who Was Arrested
Local coverage identified the suspects as 33-year-old Lauren Broadbent and 42-year-old Nicholas Schloff, both from Wonewoc, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Authorities have linked the two to a series of burglaries in the Kendall area, though specific charges were not immediately released.
Small-Town Crime Patterns
Rural convenience stores are frequent targets of property crime, and incidents like this are not entirely out of step with the broader numbers. Monroe County recorded roughly 1,831 property offenses in the most recent five year span, according to FBI data compiled on Crime Explorer. The recent arrests came as deputies increased patrols in response to repeated break-ins around Kendall.
What Comes Next
Broadbent and Schloff were booked into the Monroe County Jail and remain in custody while investigators and prosecutors sort through the case, local reports said. Anyone who noticed suspicious activity in the Kendall area or has information related to these incidents is asked to contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
