Wis. man arrested for county break-ins

Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office news

A Wisconsin man has been arrested in connection with burglaries that took place in western Van Wert County villages late last year and early this year.

Robert A. Spooner, 36, was arrested and is currently being held in the Allen County (Ind.) Jail in Fort Wayne, Ind., awaiting extradition to Van Wert County. Spooner has been charged with three counts of breaking and entering, all felonies of the fifth degree, and one count of safecracking, a fourth-degree felony and will make an initial appearance in Van Wert Municipal Court following his extradition.

The charges stem from burglaries at Becky’s Restaurant in Willshire on December 4, 2012, The Wren Tavern on December 9, 2012, and Remedy’s Bar in Convoy on January 13 of this year.

Van Wert deputies worked closely with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and the Fort Wayne, Payne and Antwerp police departments. As part of the investigation, six search warrants and three subpoenas were issued.

Meanwhile, the investigation is continuing and additional charges may be forthcoming as a result.