Man Taught His 4 Children How To Shoplift

[matcom]

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West Bend - A Kewaskum man and his four children ages 5, 6, 8 and 13 stole school clothes and bicycles from two West Bend retail stores over the weekend after he taught the children to remove magnetic security tags from the merchandise, authorities said Monday.

After they were caught, police said, the man's 8-year-old daughter told authorities that whenever they go shopping, "My dad always steals and my mom always buys."

The man was being held in the Washington County Jail for allegedly violating his probation from other criminal cases.

He is expected to appear in court Tuesday on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, retail theft, disorderly conduct and robbery, Washington County District Attorney Todd Martens said.

The children are not facing charges, West Bend police Sgt. Gus Unertl said. He said the alleged shoplifting spree began at 8:20 p.m. Friday, when the 39-year-old man instructed his children to pick out four bicycles at Wal-Mart, 1515 West Paradise Drive.

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