Two men have been charged for their alleged involvement in a string of convenience store burglaries in August and September.
Andrew E. Golla, 18, New London, was charged Monday with five counts of burglary and five counts of theft.
Joshua J. Carpenter, 26, Shiocton, was charged Tuesday with two counts each of burglary and theft.
A burglary conviction carries a 12-year maximum prison sentence.
Shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17, Waupaca County Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Repinski was dispatched to the Citgo station in the town of Bear Creek. He found the front glass door smattered and unopened cans of beer scattered in the parking lot.
Inside the building, there were packs of cigarettes on the floor. A video surveillance tape showed three men enter the building at 1:46 a.m. One of the men used a heavy mallet or maul to smash the glass door. three men, wearing bandannas or shirts over their faces entered the store and left with bottles of liquor, several cases of beer and a plastic tray of cigarettes.
The men were in and out of the store in less than a minute, according to the criminal complaint.
On Sept. 17, Weyauwega Police Officer Adam Rogge responded to a forced entry at the Weyauwega Cenex Coop on North Mill Street. He found that the glass door had been broken and cigarettes and alcohol had been stolen.
Video from a security camera showed two men, wearing hooded sweatshirts and scarves over their faces, enter the story. One man removed four 30-pack cases of beer, while the second left with 14 cartons of cigarettes.
Also on Sept. 17, Waupaca County Sheriff’s Deputy Clint Thobaben responded to a burglary at the Northport Convenience Store on State Highway 54 in Mukwa.
He found the front glass door smashed. The store manager reported the theft of seven cases of beer and an undetermined amount of cigarettes.
Shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, a 911 call reported a burglary in progress at Fletch’s Corner Store on Main Street in the village of Embarrass. The caller said two men wearing dark, hooded sweatshirts and bandannas broke the glass front door and stole a couple cases of beer.
At 1:20 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, Deputy Mike Richter responded to a motion alarm at the Northbound Trail Convenience Center near U.S. Highway 10 in rural Fremont. Several cartons of cigarettes and 21 bottles of whiskey were reported stolen.
On Sept. 24, Detective Sgt. John Mocadlo learned that a New London woman was selling cigarettes on Facebook. When he interviewed the woman, she said Golla had been staying with her for about a week and had been storing 75 to 100 cartons of cigarettes and 30 to 40 cases of beer at her home. She accused Golla of being involved in the burglaries and named a “Josh” as an accomplice.
On Sept. 28, Detective Sgt. Jim Gorman arrested Golla outside the Outagamie County Courthouse in Appleton. Golla was there to be sentenced for sexual assault of a child. He will reside one year in Outagamie County jail.
On Oct. 5, Carpenter was taken into custody in Langlade County on a probation hold. He had been convicted of theft and obstructing an officer in 2008 in Outagamie County and sentenced to one year in state prison and one year of extended supervision.
Carpenter is accused of participating in the burglaries in Embarrass and Fremont.