A 73-year-old Superior man who allegedly stole thousands of dollars in a string of burglaries from Oct. 31 to Jan. 2 made his initial appearance in Douglas County Circuit Court Jan. 7.
Thomas Edward Fisher faces seven counts of felony burglary and one count of felony theft. Cash bail of $2,500 was set for Fisher and he was ordered to have no contact with two homes and to stay away from a business and a union building that were burglarized.
Law enforcement officers received tips that Fisher had committed a Dec. 22 burglary at the Poplar Golf Course after publishing surveillance photos from the incident, according to the criminal complaint. A search warrant was executed at Fisher’s residence Jan. 6.
The Superior man initially denied involvement in the burglaries. Detectives told him that they were aware he had been borrowing money from people; Fisher told them he needed the money to keep his business afloat, the complaint said.
Fisher later admitted to detectives that he used a crowbar to break into the Poplar Golf Course and the gambling machines there. He also admitted to breaking into the Viking Bar at least twice using bolt cutters and breaking into gaming machines there, according to the complaint.
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Fisher told detectives he broke into two private residences and took safes containing coins, bonds and cash. He reportedly admitted breaking into one of the homes twice, the criminal complaint said.
The Superior man is also accused of breaking into the International Longshoreman’s Association building on Tower Avenue. He told detectives that he used a pry bar to enter, then stole money from inside a cabinet to “possibly throw people off,” according to the complaint. He admitted that the stolen bonds and car title from one of the victims would be found in a cabinet at the union office.
When searching Fisher’s residence, detectives found numerous coins, paperwork belonging to one of the victims, shoes that matched the brand that made impressions at the Poplar Golf Course and a duffel bag of tools, including a long metal bar and a pry bar.
Each of the burglary charges is a class F felony, punishable by up to 12 and a half years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $25,000. The theft charge, a class I felony, carries a maximum penalty of three years and six months imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000. Fisher remained in custody at the Douglas County Jail Monday, Jan. 17. His next court appearance was set for Monday, Jan. 24.
