One suspect in Boyceville FD burglary reaches plea deal in separate burglary case

By Cara L. Dempski

MENOMONIE — One of six suspects in the June 2016 burglary of sound equipment belonging to the Boyceville Fire Department has had the charge dismissed but read into the record for a restitution hearing as part of a plea deal. 

Andrew J. Helmueller, age 25 of Boyceville, was charged with one count of burglary of a building or dwelling, a class F felony, and one county of felony bail-jumping, a class H felony after he was accused of removing $3,000 worth of sound equipment from the Boyceville Fire Department’s concessions stand at the municipal airport last summer. 

Boyceville Police Chief Greg Lamkin had been seeking information from Helmueller since late January of this year regarding the case, and an arrest warrant for the Boyceville resident was issued April 3.

In mid-April, Helmueller had reported to Dunn County Circuit Court of his own volition and appeared before Judge Rod Smeltzer April 17. During the hearing, he informed the judge he was not at the home of Louis Cave, where fellow suspect Micah Minor said he was, on the dates listed in the case’s associated criminal complaint.

The complaint indicated Minor told law enforcement Helmueller had traveled from Cave’s home with him to the Boyceville Municipal Airport to steal the items. 

The charges were dismissed in the case regarding the Boyceville Fire Department burglary, but were instead read in as part of a plea deal on a 2016 case in which Helmueller was charged with two counts of burglary of a building or dwelling in the Dunn County Towns of Stanton and Tiffany.

In that case, Helmueller was accused of stealing items from a storage shed near a home in the Town of Stanton on January 6, 2016. That day the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office also received a report of a break-in at a home in the Town of Tiffany. 

The home owner in the Town of Stanton noted someone had kicked his shed door open and removed two red gas cans without his permission. Deputy Chad Mousel, who responded to the call, noted tire tracks leading up to the shed which were later determined to belong to a vehicle driven by the homeowner’s wife; she had driven the vehicle back the shed prior to discovery of the damaged door and missing items.

While at the scene, Mousel also noticed a black and blue flip phone in the snow close to the scene. 

The homeowner in the Town of Stanton later informed the sheriff’s office that a drill, grinder, drill bits, drill heads, vise grips, grinder, flashlight a container of tea bags, a punch and chisel set, and wrench set had also been removed from the shed. 

The house-sitter in the Town of Tiffany said she arrived at the home to check on it, and discovered the garage service door had been forced open. The door between the garage and residence was also open.

The house-sitter entered the home to search for damage or missing items, but did not see anything noteworthy, and contacted the homeowners to determine if there was anything specific she should look for that might be missing. The homeowners informed the house-sitter that there were two containers in the master bedroom containing currency and coins.

Deputy Mousel searched the area, and did not locate the containers of currency and coins, but did notice two indentations, one on the right side of the dresser and another on the left, where something heavy had previously been placed. The homeowners confirmed these spots were where the containers containing money had been located. 

All the items were located January 8, 2016 in Boyceville, inside a vehicle Helmueller was driving with intent to buy.

Helmueller pleaded no contest and was found guilty of the first count of felony burglary in the case from 2016. The second charge was dismissed, but was read into the the record for a restitution hearing for another 2016 case in which he was accused of felony bail-jumping and theft of movable property valued at less than or equal to $2,500.

Judge Rod Smeltzer accepted a deferred prosecution agreement on the January 2016 burglaries in which Helmueller will complete two years probation. As a condition of his probation, he was sentenced to 10 days in jail, and will report to the Dunn County Jail June 5 at 5:00 p.m.; he was awarded three days of credit on the jail sentence.

Helmueller is scheduled for a restitution hearing in Dunn County Circuit Court June 30 at 9:30 a.m.