Uncle who robbed vacant home gets four years in prison

Published 10:04 am Friday, October 7, 2011

An Austin man who reportedly stole several items from a vacant house was sentenced to more than four years in prison Thursday in Mower County District Court.

Bollinger

Joshua David Bollinger, 33, was given the prison time for a second-degree burglary conviction. He was also sentenced to 43 months in prison for another second-degree burglary conviction, but the sentences will run concurrently, according to court documents.

Bollinger was given credit for 143 days already served. He must serve at least two-thirds of his prison sentence.

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Bollinger’s nephew, Dyllon David Jorgenson, 19, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree burglary in the same case. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 20.

Bollinger and Jorgenson were charged in May for reportedly breaking into a vacant house and taking several items. According to a court complaint, a woman who owns a vacant house in the 4000 block of 20th Avenue NW in Lansing Township had checked on the property on May 15. When she entered the home, she heard someone in the basement.

While she was on the phone with police, she spotted someone, later identified as Jorgenson, driving by slowly. He then reportedly picked up Bollinger at an in-drive about 150 feet from the house.

Mower County Sheriff’s deputies located the men on County Road 27. Officers saw the men throwing items out of the passenger window, and later found unused syringes — determined to have been taken from the vacant house — in the ditch.

During the burglary investigation, Jorgenson gave police information about other crimes Bollinger has allegedly been committing. He told officers he and Bollinger had been to the vacant residence and stolen property previously. He also said he has been purchasing ingredients for Bollinger to make meth.

When police searched Bollinger’s parents’ house, where he lives, according to a court complaint, they found speaker equipment that reportedly belongs to the owner of the vacant house. Officers also found a corner baggie that tested positive for meth, along with many meth manufacturing items, including muriatic acid, drain cleaners, coffee filters and sudafedrine packages.

Three felony drug charges against Bollinger were dismissed by District Judge Donald Rysavy in court Thursday, according to court records.