Questions & Answers About the Strad Suspects
Curious about the accused violin thieves? Never fear, we have all the answers.
These are exciting days for Milwaukee, with the national press hotly reporting on every new development in the theft of the multimillion dollar Lipinski Stradivarius violin. Today, District Attorney John Chisholm filed charges against Universal Allah and Salah Jones, the two defendants accused of attacking MSO Concertmaster Frank Almond with a stun gun and stealing said violin. Yet for all the coverage of this ever-continuing news story, information about the two suspects is a bit scanty. Never fear, we here at Urban Milwaukee have scoured the public records in order to answer every possible question you might have.
Universal Allah. Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Police Department.
Q.: Do you have a middle initial for Universal Allah?
A.: First reports had it as “N,” but subsequent investigation shows it to be “K” In either event, it stands for “Knowledge.”
Q.: Is this the suspect’s birth name?
A.: In fact, it is not. Suspect was born as Shaudell A. Johnson. His current name was changed in February, 1999 in the court of Judge Charles Kahn.
Q.: Where does Allah reside?
A.: Allah is with those who fear Him, and those who are Muhsinun. Al Quran 16:128
Q.: I was hoping for a street address.
Criminal Complaint – Allah, Universal K; Multiple Parties
A.: Picky, picky. He was living at N.36th St. and W. Kilbourn Ave. at the time of the arrest. Another recent address is on the 2300 block of N. Weil St.
Q.: Do you have a date of birth?
A.: We show 7/9/77 as the D.O.B.
Q.: Got any contact info?
A.: Allah is in custody at this time, but you might drop him a line at universal1allah@yahoo.com, or join him on LinkedIn. It might take a while to get a response, though.
Q.: Trick question — Has the defendant ever given a haircut to Mayor Tom Barrett?
A.: He did indeed, on August 13th 2013. It was quite impromptu, as the mayor had no appointment.
Q.: The mayor looks like he could use a trim.
A.: A jailhouse barber is more valuable than a jailhouse lawyer.
Q.: How about the other person charged in the crime?
Salah Jones. Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Police Department.
A.: That would be Salah Jones, D.O.B. May, 1st, 1972.
Q.: But that name does not match the charging documents. How can that be?
A.: Mr. Jones uses a number of aliases in the conduct of his affairs. For charging purposes in the current case, he is styled as “Salah I. Salahadyn.”
Q.: What are his other names?
A.: According to court records, they include:
- Jones, Salah N
- Jones, Salah
- Jones-Salahadyn, Salah
- Salahadyn, Salah
- Salahadyn, Salah Ibin
Q.: Does he have a record other than being convicted in 1999 for stealing a $25,000 sculpture from the Michael H. Lord Gallery?
A.: Charges were dismissed on Defendant’s motion in 2011 for domestic abuse, violating a restraining order and bail jumping. In that year he was also found guilty of violating a domestic abuse injunction, and paid a $343 fine.
Q.: How about in Municipal Court?
A.: Defendant was found guilty of displaying unauthorized plates, operating after suspension / revocation, speeding and special headlight violations after a September 2008 traffic stop near N. 35th and W. Center streets. In 2009, he was found guilty of non-registration and safety belt violation (child.) He paid $469.40 in fines for those offenses.
Q.: About that domestic abuse injunction —
A.: I’m not finished with Municipal Court. In 2010 he was guilty of non-registration of vehicle again, in 2012 he was found guilty of failure to obey a traffic officer / order and also of operating after suspension / revocation. These all carried fines of $83.60 each.
Q.: And the fines are all paid?
A.: Roger. Defendant is very law-abiding on the fines front.
Q.: About that broken restraining order —
A.: Defendant violated an order not to have contact with LaToya Atlas.
A.: She rode the getaway vehicle after the crime, but has not been charged. Mother of Jones’s child — the one without seat belts, if you recall the municipal court violation we noted above.
Q.: Is this her birth name?
A.: Latoya Nicole Carter, D.O.B. 06/02/1981 is what we show.
Q.: Any rap sheet on her?
A.: A 2010 Disorderly Conduct with Domestic Abuse modifier, $500 fine paid; A 2009 Disorderly Conduct charge got her 2 days in the House of Correction. She owes $3,323.31 to Landmark Credit Union, and —
Q.: Old news. What about open cases?
A.: Well, we have speeding on the freeway, 20-24 miles over the limit in Waukesha County, January 17th, 2014.
Q.: Just 10 days before the Stradivarius heist. Maybe she was practicing her getaway!
A.: We do not engage in speculation here. Let’s see… Van Horn Leasing wants their car back, and the Department of Workforce Development has filed an Unemployment Compensation Warrant judgment against her in the amount of $16,071, unpaid.
Q.: And Municipal Court?
A.: Just a retail theft conviction. And she owes $750 for parking tickets.
Q.: Don’t you hate the way they keep hassling people over parking tickets? Don’t they have anything better to do like going after criminals?
A.: The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind, though you might try contacting the appropriate public officials.
Plenty of Horne
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ah Michael, in mentioning the theft of the Africano piece from the former Michael Lord Gallery, you also failed to mention Lord’s track record in honest dealings. Let’s see now, who is the most guilty….
I generally like Horne’s amusing writing style, poking around in famous people’s pads. Alas, it doesn’t work at all in this assault case which turned into the grandest of Milwaukee grand larcenies.
A good editor should have reined in Horne’s over the top irreverence.
But Urban Milwaukee, especially Bruce Murphy’a admirable investigations, is a vital addition to the local journalism scene.
@Mr. Drew — My “good editor,” Bruce Murphy, thought the Q&A was an appropriate way to present the information. A straight recitation of the facts would have seemed “cruel,” he said to me.
Furthermore, I do not “poke around inside famous people’s pads” in furtherance of my “amusing writing style.” My “poking” comes from the outside. I may, in addition, “poke” inside public records in pursuit of my not-so-admirable investigations.