Local teen sentenced for city burglaries

DAVE MOSIER/Van Wert independent

A local teenager charged in connection with several city burglaries pleaded guilty to all but one of the charges against him during a hearing held Friday in Van Wert County Juvenile Court.

Tyler Mohr, 17, of Van Wert, who was already in detention on other charges, pleaded guilty to six counts of burglary, all felonies of the fourth degree, and to one count of receiving stolen property, a fifth-degree felony. He also pleaded no contest to a seventh charge of burglary, also a fourth-degree felony, but was found guilty by Juvenile Court Judge Rex Fortney.

The teen said his drug habit was the reason he committed the burglaries. “I was on heroin; I didn’t care about nobody, I didn’t care about my mother, I didn’t care about myself,” Mohr said.

Judge Rex Fortney accepted Mohr’s pleas, found him delinquent, and proceeded to sentencing, ordering the teenager to serve a minimum of six months up to the age of 21 in the Juvenile Rehabilitation Center of Northwest Ohio in Bowling Green, on the recommendation of the Van Wert County Youth Bureau.

“I want to make it very clear, that if you don’t follow the treatment plan that we’re going to impose, you could end up serving time until age 21,” Judge Fortney said, adding that if he is dismissed from the treatment program, he would almost certainly be incarcerated until age 21.

Judge Fortney also ordered Mohr placed on community control until restitution of $500 for uninsured losses of victims in the case has been paid and ordered him not to have any contact with any of the victims.

Mohr, who had previously been committed to the Department of Juvenile Services for period of two years, was given another chance at treatment on the recommendation of the Van Wert County Youth Bureau.

“It is the position of the probation department that, while Tyler may not deserve another shot at treatment, we feel it would be in his best interest, and perhaps in the interest of the community, if we were to give him that opportunity,” said Bruce Showalter of the Youth Bureau.

The Van Wert Police Department filed the charges against the teen for a series of burglaries he committed in the city from July 2 to October 23 of this year. Detective Sergeant Jeff Blackmore said large quantities of jewelry, cash and collectible coins were taken in the burglaries.

A search warrant was served at a residence where the teenager was living and a large amount of property that had been reported stolen in the burglaries. However, some property remains unclaimed and Blackmore encourages anyone who has had their residence burglarized in the past few months to call the police department and file a report.