Man pleads guilty to burglary

Published 12:27 pm Saturday, September 19, 2009

An Austin man facing a burglary charge for a July incident pleaded guilty Friday.

John Allan William Wood, 18, will be sentenced on Nov. 19 for one felony count of first-degree burglary.

According to a court complaint, Wood and two juveniles entered a man’s home on Sixth Street Northwest on July 30 in an effort to take a Playstation gaming system.

Email newsletter signup

One of the juveniles, a 17-year-old male from Austin, will appear in Mower County court on Sept. 28 for an adult certification hearing. He is facing a felony burglary charge and a misdemeanor charge for receiving stolen property.

The other suspect, a 16-year-old male also from Austin, was charged as a juvenile and placed on probation.

The homeowner said he saw the three from his bedroom window around 10 a.m. When two of them entered through his front door, he came at them with a pool stick, yelling at them to leave.

The man allegedly grabbed Wood while he called police, but Wood got away, according to the complaint.

Police were unable to find the teenagers at the scene, but the man recognized the younger two males and was able to identify them.

Police were able to later track down both and make arrests.

At the Law Enforcement Center, the 16-year-old male told police that Wood and the 17-year-old had entered the property. The 16-year-old said he left without doing anything.

He also said Wood and the other young male were responsible for two stolen bikes they had used to get to the house.