A Wausau man has been charged in a string of burglaries in Lincoln County.
Aaron J. Ebensperger, 29, was charged in Lincoln County Circuit Court Wednesday with 10 counts of burglary to a building or dwelling and one count of burglary-arming self with dangerous weapon.
The burglaries were reported between April and July of 2015 to cabins and garages in the towns of Corning, Scott and Rock Falls. Doors were broken, window screens cut and locks cut to gain entry to the buildings. Thousands of dollars worth of items were reported stolen in the burglaries.
Lincoln County investigators first made contact with Ebensperger in May 2015, after a stolen rifle pawned in Wausau was traced to him. The man who pawned the rifle said he bought it from Ebensperger. When investigators went to Ebensperger’s Wausau home, they discovered a multitude of itens in his basement including generators, a shop vac, air compressor, heaters, bug spray, chainsaws, a weedwacker, a brush cutter, fishing supplies, TVs, tools, tents, binoculars, a tree stand, shotguns and a bow. The value of the items was estimated at over $6,000.
The property, suspected to be stolen, was recovered and placed in evidence. Items were subsequently returned to the rightful owners.
Ebensperger told authorities that he had purchased the items from another man, who was located by law enforcement in Prentice. The man had been living out of state and cooperated with law enforcement, saying he was not involved in the burglaries in any way.
Investigators then attempted to contact Ebensperger, but were unsuccessful until they learned he had been arrested in Marathon County in August. Lincoln County investigators interviewed him at the Marathon County Jail and he again denied involvement in the burglaries. The other man was subsequently contacted and told investigators that Ebensperger had apologized to him for giving his name to law enforcement in connection to the case.
According to court records, in all, enough evidence was collected to file charges in connection to 11 burglaries in Lincoln County and five in Marathon County.
Ebensperger is being held in the Marathon County Jail on a $250,000 case bond on unrelated charges. On Aug. 10, he led Wausau police on a chase down Grand Avenue, during which he was involved in three crashes before his vehicle was disabled. He then ran from the scene and was arrested after a five-hour search.
Ebensperger is scheduled to make an initial appearance on the burglary charges in Lincoln County Circuit Court Oct. 28.