Burglary, assault charges for Austin man

An Austin man is facing burglary and assault charges in Mower County Court after allegedly breaking into a woman’s house and threatening the woman, a man and teenage girl.

Jeffrey Leonard Ehmke, 53, is facing two counts of felony first-degree burglary, felony domestic assault and fifth-degree assault. Ehmke allegedly broke into the woman’s house in Waltham on Sunday morning around 8 a.m. Court documents state he “broke the frame of the back door and came charging into the house.”

Court records said Ehmke grabbed the man by the neck and threatened to beat him up if he didn’t leave. Ehmke then allegedly struck the teenage girl under the chin with the palm of his hand.

Court documents said Ehmke left the house and punched the window of the man’s vehicle. Minutes later, he text messaged the woman and said he was returning to the house.

When he returned, Ehmke allegedly grabbed the woman by the sweatshirt, threw her onto the couch and began pulling her hair and calling her inappropriate names. The woman later complained that her head hurt from the hair pulling.

Police arrested Ehmke at his residence in Austin soon after the incident. His blood alcohol content was .115 percent.

Ehmke told police he forced the back door of the woman’s house open and admitted to grabbing the man and threatening him. He denied ever hitting the woman and said he pushed the teenage girl out of his way at one point.

Ehmke has previously been convicted of domestic assault in Mower County in January 2004 and third-degree assault in Dodge County in July 2006.

Ehmke will appear in court on Oct. 14. His bail is set at $75,000 without conditions or $35,000 with conditions, which include complying with the Order for Protection, daily check-ins with Mower County Court System, no alcohol and no contact with the victims.

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