Two more men involved in a spate of vandalism last year at the defunct Waukesha County Health and Human Services building have pleaded guilty to their roles in the destruction and were recently sentenced.
Waukesha residents Jacob S. Erke, 19, and Jeffrey J. Samuelson, 18, both pleaded guilty to vandalism late last week, court records show. They owe hundreds of dollars in restitution to the county, but will not spend any time behind bars.
Judge Ralph Ramirez found Erke and Samuelson guilty within days of each other — March 30 and April 1, respectively — according to online court records. The convictions come a little more than two weeks after another Waukesha teenager, Katie Bennett — one of seven total individuals charged in the vandalism — was also found guilty for her role in the incident.
The seven area residents, most of them from Waukesha, were charged in December 2015 with breaking into and vandalizing the old heath and human services building, 500 Riverview Drive, over a roughly three-month period beginning in January of that year. The damage, which was estimated at $5,000, included broken windows, a broken drinking fountain and a spray-painted sign.
Sentence details
Ramirez ordered Erke to pay a $505 fine and $329.30 in restitution within 90 days, court records show. A misdemeanor charge of entry into a locked building or construction site against Erke was dismissed but read into the court record.
Court records indicate that the offense will be expunged from Erke's record pending the successful completion of his sentence and provided that no new criminal charges are filed against him.
Ramirez stayed 30 days of conditioned jail time and withheld a possibly stricter sentence for Samuelson in favor of one year of probation, according to court records. He ordered Samuelson to pay $658.60 in restitution, and prohibited Samuelson from having any further contact with any of his co-defendants and ordered him to seek employment or schooling (or both) as conditions of his probation.
The crime will also be expunged from Samuelson's record upon successful completion of his sentence, court records show. Misdemeanor theft and entry into a locked building or construction site charges against Samuelson were dismissed but read into the court record.
Pending cases
Four remaining defendants linked to the vandalism have pending criminal cases. They are Isaiah Pozos, 19, of Waukesha; Colin Hepp, 18, of Waukesha; Jose Huertas, 19, of Lake Villa, Illinois; and Ryan Turnmire, 18, of Waukesha.
Pozos, Hepp and Turnmire all have plea and sentencing hearings scheduled for April 6, according to online court records. Huertas has a plea and sentencing hearing scheduled for June 3.
All of them are facing the same charges as Erke, but Hepp and Turnmire are additionally facing a misdemeanor theft charge for reportedly stealing all-terrain vehicle lights.
A Waukesha County public works supervisor reported last March that a pool table, a power washer and a generator were also stolen, but later returned.