Austin man sentenced, gets five years for burglary

Published 4:53 pm Saturday, May 29, 2010

An Austin man arrested while rummaging through a local homeowner’s garage in October was sentenced on a felony burglary charge Friday.

James John Mentz, 21, will serve five years probation for the crime. He will also perform 40 hours of community service and pay nearly $600 in fines as part of the sentence.

The 49-year-old homeowner called police at around 6:20 a.m. on Oct. 3 and said there was someone in her garage in the 900 block of Eighth Avenue Northwest.

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The woman had taken her dog out for a walk when she noticed a garage door open and a flashlight darting around inside. She also said an interior light was on in her vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.

Police arrived and set up a perimeter around the garage.

Officers then moved into the garage and found Mentz hiding under the car.

He refused to come out and show his hands, which led police to use a Taser.

Mentz still refused to leave his spot, so police sprayed him with a chemical irritant and eventually dragged him from under the car.

He was taken to jail, where he had his eyes flushed and was booked.

The complaint states that the contents of the vehicle’s glove compartment were scattered on the floor but nothing was reported stolen.

A flashlight, which the homeowner said she had never seen before, was found by police on the front passenger seat.