DARLINGTON — Two teens are being charged in Lafayette County Circuit Court with stealing two vehicles along with burglarizing Cork Down Saloon twice in one night.

Joseph Anthony Quaglia, 18, Mount Horeb, and Owen Isaiah Murdock, 17, Galena, Ill., are both being charged with two felony counts of theft of movable property over $10,000 but less than $100,000, criminal damage to property over $2,500, burglary, theft of property with special facts, and misdemeanor charges of criminal damage and theft of property under $2,500.

According to the criminal complaint, on June 16, Quaglia and Murdock “came up with the idea together” to burglarize Cork Down Saloon. Around 1 a.m. on June 17, Quaglia and Murdock broke into Cork Down Saloon and stole several cases of alcoholic beverages, cartons of cigarettes, chewing tobacco and a cashbox with $1,000, loading those items into Murdock’s vehicle. They proceeded to ransack “various drawers and coolers”.

After that, they drove into the village of Blanchardville where they stole a Buick Enclave, driving it back to Yellowstone State Park. Quaglia then drove it “at high speeds” into the lake, before both climbed out the door windows.

They again went back to Blanchardville, stole another vehicle. That vehicle, a GMC Acadia, was “wrecked on purpose” after hitting a mailbox and a barbed wire fence and left in a ditch in Iowa County.

Around 4 a.m., both went back to Cork Down Saloon in Murdock’s vehicle where they broke in again, busted an ATM off the framing of the wall and stole the whole machine. They stole additional cases of alcohol, metal signs from the wall and stole a Savage 6.5 Creedmoor rifle with Vortex scope, which was being raffled off by the Lafayette County Sportsmen Alliance.

Many of those items were left in a ditch near Quaglia’s home, along with golf clubs and a golf bag taken from the first vehicle.

They both admitted to committing the crime and to creating a fake story to tell officers. Quaglia stated he did the incidents “for the thrill and did not think about the consequences at the time”. 

A grand total of stolen items and damage was $17,505.25, not including the vehicles.

They face up to 43.5 years in prison and $115,000.

Both are out on bail on $10,000 signature bonds. Quaglia’s preliminary hearing is Aug. 10. Murdock’s next appearance is Oct. 4.