PLATTEVILLE — A 34-year-old Shullsburg man facing charges from a Town of Platteville trailer park incident June 21 has been found competent to stand trial.
Jonathan Blaser was bound over for trial and stood mute July 16 to two counts of false imprisonment with use of a dangerous weapon, resisting or obstructing an officer while using a dangerous weapon, criminal trespass to dwelling, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. All six charges have repeat-offender sentence enhancers.
Not-guilty pleas were entered on Blaser’s behalf, according to court records.
Blaser then changed his plea to not guilty by mental disease or defect. Sept. 10. Court records quoted Blaser’s attorney as saying that Blaser showed “resistance” to the competency evaluation findings.”
Blaser was then determined to be competent to stand trial by a court-ordered evaluation and by an independent evaluation at a status conference Dec. 29.
Another status conference is scheduled for Feb. 25. Bond was set at $250 cash at Blaser’s first court appearance June 25 with the condition he not have contact with the two victims in the incident.
Law enforcement was called to a report of a man armed with a hammer who was breaking into a residence on Classic Lane June 21 around 10 a.m. Platteville and UW—Platteville police arrived to find that the man, another man and a woman had left the residence in a pickup truck, which was found elsewhere in the trailer park.
The woman spoke to officers when a man later identified as Dustin P. Yanochik, 33, Dodgeville, left the trailer through the back door.
Yanochik was then arrested on an outstanding warrant, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office said.
Officers at the second trailer heard yelling coming from inside the trailer and entered to find a man holding a large knife. After officers told him to drop the knife, the man ran to the back of the trailer.
Officers set up a perimeter around the trailer, then heard a man talking to someone behind a closed door to a bathroom just inside the trailer’s back door.
Sheriff’s deputies determined the man, later identified as Blaser, was inside the trailer with a woman. Officers negotiated with Blaser for about 30 minutes before the woman was allowed to exit the trailer. Officers continued negotiating for about two hours before deploying pepper spray and using a Taser to take Blaser into custody.
Blaser was taken by Southwest Health EMS to Southwest Health for medical clearance before he was taken to the Grant County Jail.
Blaser pleaded not guilty April 2 to a Lafayette County charge of disorderly conduct as a repeat offender for an incident March 31. Blaser then changed his plea to not guilty by mental disease or defect Oct. 20.
A status conference is scheduled for Feb. 2. Blaser was free on $1,000 signature bond with prohibitions from alcohol and an address on East Main Street in Shullsburg.
Yanochik was sentenced to 18 months in prison, two years extended supervision and three years probation after he pleaded guilty in Iowa County Circuit Court Sept. 3 to party to possession with intent of 10 to 50 grams methamphetamine and felony bail jumping, for an incident July 17. Five additional counts of felony bail jumping were dismissed but read in for sentencing, according to court records.
In 2022 Blaser served 20 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to a Dane County charge of battery by prisoners, and 30 days in jail after he pleaded no contest to a Grant County charge of misdemeanor theft of up to $500, according to court records. He was placed on three years probation, including seven months in jail, after he pleaded guilty in 2022 to a Dane County charge of robbery with use of force.
