September 24, 2024 at 5:55 a.m.

17-year-old sentenced to probation in vandalism, burglary cases


By HEATHER SCHAEFER
Editor

The Rhinelander 17-year-old who confessed to vandalizing a local golf course in late May was sentenced Thursday to four years probation and community service.

Landon M. Oldham-Schulte will also have to complete the terms of a deferred entry of judgment (DEJ) agreement with respect to a felony burglary count associated with a break-in at a local smoke shop. If he successfully completes probation and the terms of the DEJ, he can apply to have all but a misdemeanor criminal damage to property count expunged from his record.

Both the state and defense described the resolution as a necessary punishment for taking and damaging the property of others that also offers the young man an opportunity to change the trajectory of his life for the better.

According to court records, Oldham-Schulte entered no contest pleas to five of the 19 counts he was facing in connection with a crime spree in late May that included the smoke shop burglary and vandalism at the Rhinelander Country Club. 

The other counts were dismissed and read-in for purposes of sentencing. 

Rhinelander police were called to the Rhinelander Country Club at approximately 6:14 a.m. Thursday, May 30 after golf carts were found damaged in a suspected vandalism incident. Several boats belonging to members were also damaged.

A total of six golf carts were damaged and one had to be retrieved from Boom Lake, according to club pro Kevin Schoppe.

According to the complaint, a total of 11 boats were damaged. Fire extinguishers were also discharged “leaving fire extinguisher powder all over the interior of the boats,” the complaint said.

One fire extinguisher was also found in the lake.

In addition, the club reported two newly planted trees on Hole 1 and four sand trap rakes were damaged when the vandals rode golf carts over them. According to police reports attached to the complaint, Oldham-Schulte admitted that he and a juvenile hot-wired the carts and drove them around the golf course and Hodag Park.

He also admitted to breaking into the smoke shop the same day. 

According to the complaint, another man, Michael Anthony Youngs, 30, acted as a lookout while Oldham-Schulte and the juvenile stole approximately $3,000 in merchandise from the store. They gained access to the store by breaking a window, the complaint states.

The juvenile was referred to the Department of Social Services for adjudication.

Youngs has been charged with respect to the smoke shop burglary. A pretrial conference in his case is scheduled for Sept. 24.

According to assistant district attorney Scott Niemi, the terms of the DEJ include obtaining a high school diploma or GED/HSED and full-time employment when not in school. He must also write individual letters of apology to his victims and perform 40 hours of community service per year until half of the restitution is paid.

The total amount of restitution has not yet been determined but Niemi indicated it will be at least $12,000, a sum that will require plenty of hours of labor to repay.

No jail time was requested.

“Throwing him in jail for more than the four days he’s already spent at this point in time seems a bit over the top at this point,” Niemi told Judge Mary Sowinski. ”He clearly understands what he did was wrong. He confessed when law enforcement started talking to him. It's a situation where we’re trying to get the point across that he committed acts that he simply cannot do, but at the same time not trying to ruin the rest of his life.”

“There’s some consequence, but at the same time not ruining his opportunity to be an adult before he even becomes an adult,” he added, noting that the hope is Oldham-Schulte will understand and appreciate the opportunity he is being given and will “straighten out” rather than give up and continue down the road of criminality.

For her part, public defender Breanna Magallones stressed that Oldham-Schulte immediately accepted responsibility for his actions and has been very “rules compliant” since his arrest. It is his hope that his poor decisions will only delay his life plans rather than derail them, she added.

“For him to successfully expunge this, he’ll have to successfully complete probation, pay back the restitution,” she said. “I know probation will not allow a person to be successfully discharged unless they pay back that restitution, so he'll have to do a lot of work before that expungement would happen.”

Given his chance to speak, Oldham-Schulte declined to address the court.

Sowinski stated that Oldham-Schulte’s conduct was “way beyond stupidity” but there is every reason to believe he can contribute to the community.

“There is nothing about your presentation that suggests that there aren’t good qualities in you that will come out if you give them a chance. But when you’re hanging out with people who do this kind of stuff, you’re not going to find them,” she said. “You’re not going to find those good things there. It’s not going to happen. We want you to be a part of this community, and the reason that Mr. Niemi and Ms. Magallones worked so hard to come up with something that will leave you in a position to be able to work forward is because we see good things in you and we want you to focus on those and emphasize those. And quite honestly, you’re not going to have a lot of time to do much else because you're going to be working around the clock over the course of the next few years to pay this restitution.”

Heather Schaefer may be reached at heather@rivernewsonline.com.


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