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Seven UWP students face retail theft charges
$1,929 reported stolen from Walmart
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Eight UW–Platteville students were charged with retail theft and underage drinking after they were caught with more than $1,900 in merchandise in their Bridgeway Commons dorm rooms, according to Platteville police.

Charged with misdemeanor retail theft and underage possession of alcohol were Brandon B. Mackey, 18, Ashland; Jason A. Oberlin-Anderson, 19, Twin Lakes; Jasen D. Funk, 18, McFarland; and Nathan A. Mueller, 18, Hazel Green.

Ryan J. Lippstock, 18, Dubuque, and Matthew T. Williams, 18, Park Ridge, Ill., were charged with retail theft. Austin T. Riedl, 20, Dubuque, was cited for a retail theft ordinance violation. Zachary W. Blum, 20, Dubuque, was cited for underage possession of alcohol.

Mackey, Oberlin-Anderson and Funk will be arraigned in Grant County Circuit Court in Lancaster Dec. 2 at 10:30 a.m.
Mueller is set to be arraigned on the theft charge this week, and he will make his first appearance on the underage possession charge Monday at 10 a.m. Mueller also faces an unrelated additional citation for underage drinking filed Sept. 10, according to court records.

Lippstock and Willaims are making their first appearances this week. Blum will make his first appearance Monday at 10 a.m. Riedl will make his first appearance Nov. 25 at 1 p.m.

Seven of the eight are accused of stealing an estimated $1,929 in Walmart merchandise, including, according to police, sports gloves, cell phone cases, movie discs, Xbox and other computer games, computer flash drives, Lego sets, walkie-talkies, Airsoft guns, knives, clothing, deodorant and cologne.

Police first contacted Mackey in the parking lot at Walmart Oct. 8 after “information provided by a concerned citizen,” according to police. Mackey had bottles of vodka he told police he had stolen from Walmart. Oberlin-Anderson and Funk, who had accompanied Mackey, were found to be hiding items under their clothing, including bottles of vodka and a DVD, police said.

The three took police back to their Bridgeway Commons dorm room, where more stolen items were found and other suspects were identified, police said.