Two suspects walked out of a Menomonee Falls Kwik Trip without paying for merchandise on August 26, 2026, then left in a dark-colored SUV with an oddly memorable detail: a photograph of a cat stuck to the rear passenger-side window near the trunk. Police are still trying to identify them, and the getaway vehicle's plate number remains unknown.
The theft happened at the Kwik Trip location on Silver Spring Drive, west of Lilly Road, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. Police say the pair took merchandise from the store without attempting to pay before leaving in the SUV. The store sits at N56W14150 Silver Spring Drive, in a commercial stretch near the intersection with Lilly Road, per Loc8NearMe.
Investigators have not disclosed what specifically was taken or its dollar value, a detail that matters under Wisconsin law. Officer Nemoir is handling information related to the case, which has been logged under case number 26-021941, the report notes. Anyone with information is asked to call the Menomonee Falls Police Department at 262-532-8700.
Not the First Time This Kwik Trip Has Made Headlines
This isn't the first reported theft at a Menomonee Falls Kwik Trip, nor even the first involving the same police department. Just this spring, the department sought two suspects accused of stealing more than $200 worth of groceries from a Kwik Trip on Main Street in Menomonee Falls on February 14, 2026, an incident reported at the time by FOX6 News Milwaukee. And back in January 2020, the outlet reported that police were searching for a man who distracted a store clerk to steal Newport cigarettes from the Silver Spring Drive store before fleeing in a silver minivan.
Kwik Trip, founded in 1965 in Eau Claire and now based in La Crosse, operates nearly 900 locations and employs more than 38,000 workers across the Midwest, according to the company. The chain, which produces roughly 80% of its own store products through an in-house manufacturing network, has become a frequent presence in the region's retail theft reports.
What Charges Could Follow, Once Value Is Known
The severity of any eventual charges will hinge on how much the stolen merchandise is worth. Under Wisconsin Statute § 943.50, retail theft of goods valued at $500 or less is a Class A misdemeanor, carrying up to nine months in jail and fines as high as $10,000, according to Schiro Criminal Defense. If the value climbs between $500 and $5,000, the charge escalates to a Class I felony, punishable by up to 3.5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, per the Bucher Law Group.
Wisconsin law also allows merchants like Kwik Trip to detain suspected shoplifters for investigation and to pursue separate civil monetary demands against them, regardless of how any criminal case turns out, the same legal analysis notes. Those civil claims proceed independently of whatever charges, if any, prosecutors ultimately file.
Police Resources and How to Help
The Menomonee Falls Police Department, headquartered at W156 N8480 Pilgrim Road under Chief of Police Mark P. Waters, maintains roughly 78 full-time employees, including 62 sworn officers, to serve a village of more than 38,000 residents, according to the department's official website. The village's commercial corridors include the Silver Spring Drive retail strip where the Kwik Trip sits.
Residents with tips can also turn to Waukesha County Crime Stoppers, which accepts anonymous reports through its website and P3 app. For now, the key details investigators still need — what exactly was taken, its total value, and whether surveillance footage will reveal a readable license plate — remain unanswered.
