Posted: 5/3/05
Caledonia man guilty of theft, perjury
Jeremiah Shefelbine, 29, Caledonia, pled guilty on April 25 to theft and solicitation to commit perjury charges connected to a robbery that occurred in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on August 30, 2004.
The plea to the two felonies came in La Crosse County Circuit Court. Sentencing will be on May 31. He is currently in the La Crosse County Jail.
Shefelbine was originally charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and with obstructing officers, both as a habitual criminal. He has six other convictions for burglary, drug possession, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and forgery. The convictions took place in Houston, Fillmore, and La Crosse Counties.
Shefelbine arranged to have one person rob the Maid-Rite Cafe and to hire a second man to drive a get-away car, according to the criminal complaint.
Two trials had been set up in the case, but they were delayed. The state claimed that Shefelbine had friends threaten a witness, and that he tried to have cocaine planted in the vehicle of a witness.
Jessica L. Burmester, 23, Caledonia, also faces charges relating to the case. She worked at the cafe at the time of the robbery. She has been charged with conspiracy to deliver cocaine, aiding felons, and obstructing officers.
Burmester is accused of obstructing an officer by lying about facts in the case and by passing on information from Shefelbine to another person.
Shefelbine allegedly told Burmester to tell another person to retrieve two ounces of cocaine to sell to pay attorney fees. The criminal complaint also states that Burmester was asked by Shefelbine to have the other person retrieve $2,000 in cash from behind a refrigerator and bring it to him in jail so that he could pay his attorney.
Terroristic threats charges
In other court news, Jack David Taylor, 22, Houston, was charged on April 18 with three counts of violating an order for protection, and one count of terroristic threat.
According to a criminal complaint, Taylor left a message on a personís answering machine stating that he was going to hire someone to kill that personís sister.
Taylor made his first court appearance on April 18 before Judge Robert Benson, who set unconditional bail at $70,000 and conditional bail at $35,000.
Taylor appeared in court on April 25 in a Rule 8 hearing and applied for a public defender. His next court date has not been set. He is currently in the Houston County Jail.
Bublitz pleads not guilty
Mitchell Milton Bublitz, 52, Houston, pled not guilty in Third District Court on April 27 on disorderly conduct and fifth degree assault. He also requested a trial jury. No date for that has been set.
The complaint claims that Bublitz pushed the nose of City of Houston snow plow driver Barry Kurtz on March 18 in front of the fire station lot in Houston. Bublitz threw snow in Kurtzís face and swore at him, according to the complaint. Bublitz was upset with the plowing job that Kurtz had done, and told Kurtz he didnít want him pushing snow in his parking lot at 200 Westgate Drive, the report states.
The disorderly conduct charges stem from an incident four days later in the Houston City Hall. According to a police report, Bublitz went there to talk about the snow plowing with city administrator Larry Jerviss and city maintenance supervisor Robert Borowiak. The criminal complaint states that Bublitz yelled and blocked Borowiakís way out of the office. Kurtz filed a harassment order against Bublitz following the incident. Bublitz is barred from entering city hall.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com