Three 17-year-olds accused of stealing gas, change and more in a rash of thefts this spring throughout Douglas County made initial appearances Monday in Douglas County Circuit Court.
Nathan Edward Birkholz of South Range faces two dozen criminal charges, including 14 felonies that range from burglary and theft, to fraudulent use of a credit card.
Anthony Devere Seaberg of Superior also faces 23 criminal charges including 14 felonies.
Jesse James Budreau of Superior has been charged with six counts including four felonies.
All three entered not guilty pleas to the misdemeanor charges and preliminary hearings on the felonies were scheduled in June.
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The teens are accused of stealing gas, tools, money, credit cards, MP3 and iPod players, a laptop computer, car batteries, a shotgun and more. The items were taken from residences in the towns of Oakland, Superior, Lakeside, Amnicon, Summit, Parkland and the village of Poplar in April and May. The majority of the thefts were from garages, utility buildings, sheds and vehicles, according to the criminal complaint.
Reports of a suspicious vehicle were provided by two different sources, including a newspaper carrier. Coupled with information from previous burglaries, suspects were identified and a search warrant was executed at Seaberg's Superior residence.
According to the criminal complaint:
When questioned, the three teens admitted to breaking into garages and cars for the past month, searching mainly for gas and change. Birkholz told Douglas County Sheriff's Detective Brad Hoyt that they would take cans of gas, fill their tanks and then toss the can. Seaberg said the teens targeted places at random and never broke into a locked place. He said if people did not close their garage door, they were asking to be broken into.
All three teens were released on signature bonds -- $5,000 for Birkholz and Seaberg, $2,500 for Budreau.
