Community Corner

Police: Teen Says He Broke Into Relative's Home Because He was Mad

A Racine high school student is facing adult felony charges after police say he broke into a relative's home to steal valuables because he was mad at them.

Trevor Ottum, 17, was charged Thursday in Racine County Circuit Court with felony burglary and one misdemeanor count each of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted, he faces up to 13 years in jail and/or up to $26,500 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint, Caledonia police were called on May 20 to a home in the 3300 block of Highway 31 for a report of a burglary. When officers arrived, they found a broken window, fingerprints and some blood at the point of entry. The couple who lives there reported an iPad and some jewelry had been taken.

The man and woman identified Ottum as a possible suspect because there were calls on their cell phones and the home phone from Ottum, which was very unusual. They told police they believe he was calling to see if they were home, the complaint reads.

Investigators checked Ottum's attendance record at school and it showed he was truant the day of the burglary. In fact, at the time of the incident, police say school records indicate Ottum hadn't attended school since February.

Another relative reportedly told officers they'd seen Ottum with an iPad the relative knew Ottum couldn't afford because he didn't have a job. When police visited Ottum's home, he denied having anything to do with the burglary and even gave officers permission to search his room, the complaint reads.

Police say they observed Ottum slide some items under his pillow when they entered his room and could smell burnt marijuana. They also spotted a glass pipe and the green stems of marijuana plants on his bedside table. The defendant continued to deny any involvement with the burglary, but after police confronted him with the evidence found at the scene and the witness' statement about the iPad, Ottum confessed.

After taking Ottum into custody, police recovered several pieces of jewelry from under Ottum's pillow that his relatives identified as missing from their home, three Zanax pills and .3 grams of marijuana in a jar lid, the complaint reads.

During his interview with CAPD, they say Ottum admitted to calling his relatives to see if they were home before breaking into his relatives' home because he was mad at them. He detailed how he entered the house and took the jewelry and iPad from an upstairs bedroom. There was some costume jewelry he tossed during his walk home, and police say he admitted that he sold the iPad to a friend who didn't know it was stolen.

Ottum remains in the Racine County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond. His preliminary hearing is set for June 26.


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