Alleged burglars charged in Sun Prairie burglary spree

Mike Miller  —  12/01/2008 7:13 pm

Two young men are facing eight felony counts and one misdemeanor after a spur of the moment crime spree in Sun Prairie last week during which they broke into several houses and garages, according to criminal complaints filed Monday.

Daniel Van Norman, 22, of Evansville, and Matthew V. Wussow, 20, of Sun Prairie, were charged with six counts of burglary, two counts of attempted burglary and one count of criminal damage to property for their alleged escapade on Nov. 24.

Police first got onto the problem when a man on Cromwell Circle called at 3:20 a.m. to say he saw two men in dark clothing walking away from his home after he was woken up by his barking dog.

Sun Prairie Police Officer Timothy Lingle went to the home and saw the two men nearby. When he called to them they took off running but police caught them.

After tracing the path the men had taken by following their footsteps in new fallen snow, Officer Christopher Olander said he counted 17 homes "that were either entered or attempted to be entered," the criminal complaint says.

Van Norman, who has previous felony convictions in Rock County, initially told police he and Wussow were going into garages in search for beer or booze. Van Norman claimed he was an alcoholic.

In fact, he led police to a case of beer stashed underneath a tree but said he was not sure where they got the beer because they had been at so many houses, the complaint says.

But later as people began to awake for the day and found that things had been taken from their homes, police realized the two had swiped a 42-inch television set and a couple of computers at various houses. Also taken was a pair of wire cutters from one man's tool box. When police asked Van Norman where he got the wire cutters that he had with him, Van Norman told police he no longer wanted to talk to them, the complaint says.

Wussow later told police the stolen items were in his apartment at Park Circle and police discovered them there.

Cash bail of $2,700 was set for Van Norman, who faces more than 120 years of combined prison and extended supervision time if convicted of all counts. Wussow, who faces maximum penalties of up to 88 years of prison and extended supervision, was released on a signature bond.

Mike Miller  —  12/01/2008 7:13 pm