Green County

Misdemeanors

●  Joey Parker Diaz Barnett, 22, Albany, pleaded no contest Jan. 8 to a non-criminal citation for possessing drug paraphernalia, downgraded from a misdemeanor, and was fined $267.50. Court records indicate he was found with a glass meth pipe Aug. 20 at a residence in Albany.

●  Chad Edward Pehl, 46, Monroe, was sentenced Jan. 8 to nine months plus 176 days in jail, with all time served, after having his probation revoked on misdemeanor convictions of bail jumping and criminal damage to property. The revocation warrant indicates he invited a neighbor into his room at a Janesville motel to show her his broken sink on Sept. 3, then grabbed her, tried to kiss her neck and prevented her from leaving. She told police the incident scared her and made her feel violated. He faces a felony in Rock County for the incident and is currently taking the case to trial. Revocation documents also indicate Pehl has continued drinking heavily in violation of his probation conditions and even while on Soberlink alcohol monitoring.

●  Dina M. Kleckner, 53, Freeport, pleaded guilty Jan. 10 to one misdemeanor charge of issuing worthless checks and was fined $100 plus court costs. She is on a payment plan and owes $589. Court records indicate she has paid restitution. The case stems from a check for $421.87 she wrote to the Monroe Farm and Fleet in June for a Mossy Oak gas-powered mini-bike.

Felonies

●  Heather Marie (Kuykendall) Connell, 32, Janesville, was charged Jan. 14 with theft of more than $5,000 in a business setting, a Class H felony, along with felony counts of modifying data to defraud, identity theft and misappropriation of ID info and a misdemeanor count of fraudulent use of a financial transaction card. The case stems from an investigation into embezzlement at a Brodhead car dealership, Brodhead Chevrolet Buick, 2208 1st Center Ave. Court records indicate Connell was an account manager at the dealership and embezzled $5,236.08 in her capacity as an employee by adding extra money to her paychecks from July to November and by using a company credit card to pay her home internet bill and to buy goods from Home Depot online. The manager of the dealership first reported the alleged theft to Brodhead police Nov. 27 but told police they were handling it internally. He said Connell had agreed to pay back the money and had made one $1,000 payment so far. Then, on Dec. 4, the manager told police he wanted to pursue charges against Connell. About a week later, the manager informed police he learned Connell had called their financial service provider pretending to be the dealership’s receptionist trying to change her account password. In the course of the investigation, the manager provided police with a statement Connell made via email: “I take full responsibility for what I did,” she wrote, adding, “Like I said with my divorce I would have never done this. I want to pay back the money I received that I did not earn. Is there any way to do that without prosecuting?” In a Dec. 17 interview with police, she said she had needed the money to pay off debt collectors after her recent divorce. 

●  Jeffery Leroy Dietzman, 40, Juda, pleaded guilty Jan. 17 to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and was sentenced to one year on probation and an imposed but stayed 30 days in jail. Related charges including misdemeanor battery and a felony charge of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon were dismissed. His court assessments total $443. The case stems from a Nov. 8 incident at a home on County OK where Dietzman was a renter. Court records indicate Dietzman and a woman visiting him got into a dispute over money, drugs and possession of a phone. The homeowner told police he had been trying to evict Dietzman.

●  Ruslan Michail Fedorov, 25, Madison, pleaded no contest Jan. 17 to a Class H felony charge of taking and driving a vehicle without consent and misdemeanor charges of possessing THC and receiving or concealing stolen property, all as a party to a crime. He was sentenced to three years on probation. His conditions of probation include absolute sobriety. His court assessments total $4,141. Related charges including burglary and theft were dismissed. The case stems from a rash of thefts in Brodhead in February 2018 committed by Fedorov and an accomplice, Thomas S. Kusch, 25, Madison, according to court records. Kusch told police Fedorov, who goes by “Russ” was his friend since middle school, talked him into rifling through cars and that Fedorov picked Brodhead as their target. Police reported finding numerous stolen items in Kusch’s vehicle, including loaded gift cards, a change purse, a pair of Oakley sunglasses and a pool cue in a case. Kusch was arrested in Brodhead on the night of the crimes, but his accomplice escaped out of the city in a Pontiac Grand Prix sedan stolen out of residential garage in the 1200 block of West 4th Avenue. The stolen Pontiac was later found parked within walking distance of where Fedorov was staying with Kusch in Madison and DNA evidence swabbed from the vehicle linked to Fedorov. Kusch pleaded no contest in August 2018 to three misdemeanor counts of receiving or concealing stolen property and was sentenced to two years on probation.

●  Vincent Michael Ott, 30, Green County Jail, had his probation revoked on convictions of possessing narcotic drugs, a felony, as well as possessing drug paraphernalia and an illegally obtained prescription, both misdemeanors. He was sentenced Jan. 21 to one year in jail, with a consecutive sentence of 182 days already served. He owes $886 in court assessments. Court records indicate his probation was revoked after he absconded from supervision last summer, used meth and heroin and lied to and attempted to run from an officer during a traffic stop Aug. 3 in La Crosse. He told the officer his name was “Cody Ott” and gave a false date of birth. He was apprehended in a nearby alley after the officer threatened use of a taser. The probation agent noted Ott moved to La Crosse to live with his father and worked briefly at a brewery there. Ott had aspirations to attend an apprenticeship program, but “did not make any moves towards that goal,” the agent wrote, adding, “It is believed Mr. Ott would benefit from treatment in a confined setting. ... Mr. Ott conveniently wants community-based treatment at this time, however (he) ignored this option when he was in the community.”

●  Samantha Jo Meyer, 33, last known address in Phoenix, Arizona, was charged Jan. 21 with three Class I felony counts of failure to pay child support. Court records indicate she was ordered to pay $117.69 per week for the support of one child and failed to pay for periods in 2014, 2016 and 2019, and her total arrearage owed as of December was $6,185.63.

●  Chevy J. Ottenhausen, 32, Brodhead, had a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor charge of battery dismissed Jan. 23. He was instead cited for disorderly conduct and fined $300, which court records indicate he paid. His attorney, Robert Duxstad, successfully argued before the judge that “the state did not provide sufficient evidence of restraint or confinement as required under (state law)” and “the alleged victim of false imprisonment stated that she felt free to leave at all times during the mutual physical altercation.” The case stems from a domestic altercation Aug. 9 at Ottenhausen’s home on East 4th Avenue. The victim in the case asked the court to “please be lenient on him” and “maybe just some couple’s counseling is needed and personal one-on-one counseling.” In an affidavit filed with the court, she gave her version of the altercation: “Both of us were arguing loudly with each other and using profanities towards one another … At one point the argument became physical between us. During our fight Chevy pushed me down on the couch and I started kicking him … Later I saw a bruise on his knee which I may have caused. … At no time did Chevy confine or restrain me. At all times I felt I was free to leave. He did not prevent me from calling the police. The physical fight between us lasted between 60 seconds and 90 seconds, if that. I would describe the fight between the two of us as being a mutual engagement. I did call the police as I was upset. When I called the police, Chevy went out of the house and waited for the police to show up on the front porch. ... It is very possible that I struck Chevy with my fist or my arm. ... A few days after the incident, I told the police that I wanted the charges against Chevy dropped. I continue to feel that Chevy should not be charged with any criminal offenses arising out of the incident.”