MONROE — A young Monroe man was scheduled to make an initial appearance in Green County Circuit Court Tuesday on a 54-count criminal complaint related to a string of burglaries in which he and at least two co-defendants took tools, an assault rifle and fireworks from homes and businesses in Green County.
Caleb Mark Elmer, 20, faces a host of felony charges, including multiple counts of burglary and contributing to the delinquency of a minor for apparently involving a minor in the crimes. Other charges include receiving stolen property and possession of burglary tools.
The crimes are alleged to have occurred from July of 2021 into 2022 at numerous locations including two separate fireworks sales operations and a rural flower shop.
Police found much of their evidence in the crime after searching a Monroe home owned by the defendant’s parents.
“The purpose of their presence at the residence, and that it was known that (the defendant) stays there, and that evidence of multiple burglaries is suspected to be at this
Location,” investigators said in a criminal complaint. (The homeowner) denied knowledge of any evidence from any burglaries, and did allow law enforcement to search the common areas of the residence and garage.”
At one point, Elmer and several co-defendants took and broke into a least two safes and then tossed into the Sugar River, taking thousands in cash and valuables, and costing many thousands in damage to the homes and businesses. The two safes were cracked using a crowbar and power tools, the complaint said.
Police also recovered an AR 15 style assault rifle and a box of .223 ammunition from the weapon, taken from an area business.
At another location, they took Milwaukee brand tools and $200, mostly in two-dollar bills.
Often the suspects would “case” or conduct surveillance on a location prior to breaking in after it was closed or when no one was home, investigators said. Elmer’s co-defendants were named only by their initials in the lengthy complaint against Elmer.
In 2020, Elmer was one of two Green County teenagers convicted in separate plea and sentencing hearings in October and November for a gun theft in New Glarus.
Elmer, who was 17 at the time, and another 17-year-old, were charged for the crime along with two juvenile co-defendants. Juvenile court cases are not public. The other 17-year-old in the case has since had their record expunged.
Elmer pleaded no contest to a felony charge of receiving stolen property, with a felony theft charge “read in,” meaning the judge could consider it at sentencing. He also pleaded no contest at that time to misdemeanor charges of possessing THC and intentionally contributing to the delinquency of a child.