A former New London man was charged Nov. 29 with being party to the Jan. 10 break-in at Union Still & Grill.
Daniel L. Russell, 41, Neenah, faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted of burglary and theft.
On Jan. 11, Waupaca County Sheriff’s Deputy Traci LaBrosse was dispatched to the bar in Symco. The owners told her that when they arrived to work they found the south patio door partially open, but not damaged. The bartender said she was certain the door had been locked.
Inside the building, the steel door to a storage room was severely damaged by forced entry. A small safe that had been in the storage room was missing, along with more than $2,000 in cash that had been in the safe. Two cartons of cigarettes were also missing.
In March, Kimberly Guitron, 32, was charged with burglary and theft for her alleged involvement in the break-in at the bar. At that time, Guitron reportedly told police that she had walked 15 miles from her home in New London to the bar in Symco, then back after stealing the cash from the safe.
On Aug. 2, Sgt. John Mocadlo, with the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Department, was investigating a forged check complaint against Guitron. She agreed to allow Mocadlo to record a phone call with Russell.
During the conversation, they reportedly talked about the burglary and Russell said, “Do what you have to do. If you take me down, so be it.”
When questioned by police, Russell accused Guitron of having a key to the building because she was a former employee. He reportedly said he drove her to the bar, dropped her off, then picked her up about 30 minutes later.