Shopper Found at Mariner Mall

Paul Whyte


Tuesday, April 1 at 253 p.m. Superior Police were called to the Mariner Mall on a report of suspicious activity. They arrived to find a tan Buick parked in the mall’s parking lot with no driver in attendance. “It’s something that rarely happens and when it does, it always seems like something is a little off,” said Police Chief Charles LeGesse.
Officer William Spackle was first on the scene. “I checked all around the car and did not see anyone. The vehicle didn’t really looked abandoned, so I figured someone had actually gone into the mall. I’ve been on the force for eight years and I’ve never once seen someone actually get out of their car and walk into this side of the mall. Sure, sometimes we get some people going into Guadalajara’s on the North side of the building, but it’s highly unusual for someone to explore any of the other areas of the mall,” said Spackle. Spackle called for back up and was joined by two other officers, whereupon they entered the mall. “The place was so quiet, it gave me the chills. You could hear a pin drop,” said Spackle. “We all stayed pretty close together as we canvassed the building. We slowly cleared the mall store by store in a standard search pattern.”
Three hours later, the officers discovered Superior resident, Mabel Harris, in the men’s department of the Younkers store and detained her. “We asked what she was doing in the store and she said she was shopping for a jacket for her grandson. Pretty unlikely story, but I sort of recalled hearing of something similar once before. It wasn’t on my shift, but during my rookie year, back in 2005, we had to rescue someone who had been wandering around the mall for a few days.” Harris was in good health despite her ordeal, and was led out of the building safely.  The Superior Police Department urges the public to only use the North side of the Mariner Mall, and even then, its best to leave a message with a loved one as to where you are going.  “When people wander into a desolate area it’s always hard to tell what they’re up to, or whether they are lost or something. It’s a red flag for us,” said Spackle.   

Credits

Paul Whyte

A South Shore native and University of Wisconsin-Superior journalism graduate. Lifelong musician, and former open mic host. Passionate about the music scene and politics.

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