MONROE - An 18-year-old Monroe man was sentenced Friday, March 30, in Green County Circuit Court to one year of probation on convictions of breaking into a storage shed in Recreation Park last summer with a group of friends.
Lucas Dean Hagen is also ordered to pay $1,541 in restitution and other fees, undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and not enter any municipal, county or state park after hours.
Felony and misdemeanor charges against Hagen stem from an incident late last August, a few months after he graduated from Monroe High School.
He and some friends jimmied the lock on a municipal storage shed in Recreation Park after drinking beer in a nearby back yard, according to District Attorney Gary Luhman. After tearing down a security camera and destroying it, he added, the teenagers stole three sets of lawnmower keys and five spray cans of lubricants and cleaners.
At 18, Hagen was the only one in the group to be prosecuted as an adult in criminal court. His younger companions faced consequences in juvenile court.
When given the opportunity to explain the burglary in court, Hagen said he'd just been hanging out with his friends and "being cool."
"It was mainly just something to do," he added.
He didn't offer an apology, but he did say the incident had taught him to be more law-abiding and consider his actions more carefully.
"I feel like I don't even speed anymore. Lots of things I think about more," he said.
Luhman said Hagen was at low risk for reoffending and that his biggest challenge now is to grow up.
"He needs to take his life off hold and figure out what he's going to do with his life," Luhman said. "We want Mr. Hagen to move forward."
Hagen is working full-time at his grandfather's roofing business, according to the court's pre-sentence investigation, but told Judge James Beer he plans eventually to go to college, maybe for architecture.
Beer refrained from fining Hagen, beyond the restitution and usual court fees, because he said Hagen ought to start saving money for his education and getting his "act together."
"You're 18. You're an adult now. And it's time for you to grow up," Beer told Hagen.
Lucas Dean Hagen is also ordered to pay $1,541 in restitution and other fees, undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and not enter any municipal, county or state park after hours.
Felony and misdemeanor charges against Hagen stem from an incident late last August, a few months after he graduated from Monroe High School.
He and some friends jimmied the lock on a municipal storage shed in Recreation Park after drinking beer in a nearby back yard, according to District Attorney Gary Luhman. After tearing down a security camera and destroying it, he added, the teenagers stole three sets of lawnmower keys and five spray cans of lubricants and cleaners.
At 18, Hagen was the only one in the group to be prosecuted as an adult in criminal court. His younger companions faced consequences in juvenile court.
When given the opportunity to explain the burglary in court, Hagen said he'd just been hanging out with his friends and "being cool."
"It was mainly just something to do," he added.
He didn't offer an apology, but he did say the incident had taught him to be more law-abiding and consider his actions more carefully.
"I feel like I don't even speed anymore. Lots of things I think about more," he said.
Luhman said Hagen was at low risk for reoffending and that his biggest challenge now is to grow up.
"He needs to take his life off hold and figure out what he's going to do with his life," Luhman said. "We want Mr. Hagen to move forward."
Hagen is working full-time at his grandfather's roofing business, according to the court's pre-sentence investigation, but told Judge James Beer he plans eventually to go to college, maybe for architecture.
Beer refrained from fining Hagen, beyond the restitution and usual court fees, because he said Hagen ought to start saving money for his education and getting his "act together."
"You're 18. You're an adult now. And it's time for you to grow up," Beer told Hagen.