Former Ridgeland man guilty of Elk Mound burglary not competent on fraud charge

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE  — A Dunn County judge has found that a former Ridgeland man guilty of a burglary near Elk Mound and currently serving a prison term is not competent to plead guilty on a separate felony count of fraud.

Judge Rod Smeltzer accepted a plea of “guilty but not guilty due to mental disease or defect” during a hearing in Dunn County Circuit Court September 11 for Ryan J. Hobbick on a Class H felony of fraud against a financial institution exceeding $500 but not exceeding $10,000.

Hobbick previously was sentenced to three years in state prison and five years of extended supervision in May of 2016 for a burglary at  A-Z Auto & Truck Salvage & Recycling Center on state Highway 29 in the Town of Elk Mound.

In a separate case, Hobbick was sentenced in July to 18 months in prison and five years of extended supervision on a felony count of fraudulent credit card use exceeding $10,000.

During the July 14 plea and sentencing hearing, Judge James Peterson accepted Hobbick’s plea of no contest, found him guilty, and ordered that the 18 month prison sentence and extended supervision be concurrent to the prison sentence and extended supervision in the previous case.

During the September 11 hearing, Judge Smeltzer committed Hobbick to the state Department of Health Services for the additional felony count of fraud for a period not to exceed six years and to run concurrent with Hobbick’s other prison sentences.

Felony charges of misappropriating identification, an additional fraud charge against a financial institution and issuing worthless checks totaling more than $2,500 were dismissed by Judge Smeltzer but read into the record for sentencing.

Recommendation

Hobbick’s attorney, Jeremiah Harrelson, and Assistant Dunn County District Attorney Andrew Maki both recommended that Judge Smeltzer accept Hobbick’s plea of “guilty but not guilty due to mental disease or defect” and commit him to the Department of Health Services.

During the court hearing, Judge Smeltzer retired to his chambers to again review a report by a psychologist, and when he came back to the courtroom, affirmed that the psychologist’s report supported Harrelson’s and Maki’s recommendation to the court.  

The incident of fraud against a financial institution occurred in the Village of Ridgeland in December of 2014.

Judge Smeltzer also found Hobbick was not competent to refuse medication ordered for his treatment.

In addition, the judge ordered Hobbick to pay $268 in court costs, a $250 DNA surcharge and a $10 drug surcharge.

Judge Smeltzer ordered Hobbick to pay $2,755.89 in restitution to Royal Credit Union.

A-Z

At the time of the Town of Elk Mound burglary, Hobbick lived in Ridgeland.

Miles J. Gloss, an uncle of Hobbick’s wife, Tiffany, pleaded guilty in April of 2015 to one felony count of burglary related to items stolen from A-Z Auto & Truck Salvage & Recycling Center and agreed to testify against others implicated in the burglary.

Gloss and Hobbick also were charged with multiple felony charges of theft and burglary in Chippewa County in connection with thefts from businesses and construction sites totaling more than $60,000.

Stevie Walls Sr., Tiffany Hobbick’s father, and Stevie Walls Jr. also were charged in connection with the thefts from A-Z Auto Salvage.

Court records indicated Menomonie addresses for Walls Sr. and Jr., although court records previously listed addresses in Elk Mound and Boyceville for the two men.

During the February of 2016 trial, Walls Sr. was granted immunity to testify against Hobbick.

Hobbick also was accused of stealing checks from A-Z Towing and signing the name of the deceased owner of the business, Wayne Larson, along with fraudulent use of a Menards credit card issued to Wayne Larson.

Changed padlock

Michael Larson, Wayne Larson’s son, testified at Hobbick’s trial that his father had operated A-Z Towing for 25 years, and that since his father’s death, he had gone out periodically to check the property.

Larson testified that one day when he went to check on the property, he noticed someone had changed the padlock on the front gate.

David Bolgren, an investigator for Menards, testified at Hobbick’s trial that $15,798 worth of merchandize had been ordered by the deceased Wayne Larson, including gift cards, a mattress, a rocker-recliner, copper pipe and  “rose mauve” paint.

According to the criminal complaint, a search warrant was executed at the home of Ryan and Tiffany Hobbick in Ridgeland on December 15, 2014.

All together, more than $15,500 worth of online items were ordered from Menards, although according to records from Menards, $4,661 was returned or canceled for a total of $10,870.