18-year-old was carrying fake Franklin, police say    

A Cottage Grove woman was one of three people arrested downtown Wednesday in connection with the attempted use of counterfeit money, police said.

Madison police said officers responded to a report of a fake $100 bill at Burnie's Rock Shop on East Johnson Street at about 2 p.m.

Police said officers made contact with Franca Wheeler, 18, of Cottage Grove, and Tracey Franklin, 43, with no permanent address, outside the store. According to the report, Wheeler was carrying the faux $100 bill in her pants, which police said was about 25-percent smaller than a real bill. Police said Franklin had merchandise she shoplifted from the rock shop.

A third person, 19-year-old Jermaine Bradley Jr., ran from police but was arrested after a short foot chase, the report noted.

Police: iPhone stolen while victim chatted at bar    

Police are crediting smartphone tracking software and a suspect description from a bartender with solving a theft case.

Madison police said a 36-year-old Sun Prairie man had his iPhone stolen while he was at a bar. He didn't see who took it, but police said the bartender got a good description of the thief who was only in the bar for a couple minutes.

The victim was able to use a friend's phone to track the location of his own phone and was able to trace it to South Broom Street near John Nolen Drive, according to police.

Officers said they spotted a suspect in the 100 block of West Main Street.

The victim told police he could activate an alarm on the phone and he activated it when police moved in.

Area police officers went door to door Tuesday as part of Dane County’s first DNA-sample enforcement mission. Officers from the Madison, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, Middleton and deputies from Dane County Sheriff’s Department joined forces to conduct the Dane County DNA sweep.

About 30 law enforcement officers made attempts to contact individuals who were required by law to submit a DNA sample but had not. The Dane County Sheriff’s Department said there were 93 people listed in noncompliance.

The Office of Justice Assistance estimated that between 100 and 120 individuals living in Dane County are required to submit a DNA sample to the Wisconsin DNA Databank on a quarterly basis. Everyone on the list is first sent a letter in an attempt to get voluntary compliance. In many cases, additional attempts were necessary; follow-up letters were sent via certified mail from the Dane County District Attorney’s Office.