Austin man sentenced to supervised probation on burglary and theft charges in Mower County District Court

An Austin man responsible for six separate break-ins and burglaries around Austin in July and September of 2021 has been sentenced to supervised probation in Mower County District Court.   

19-year old Elias James Wells had been charged with 11 felonies and four misdemeanors.  Wells pleaded guilty to a felony charge of 1st degree burglary, one felony charge of 2nd degree burglary, and also to a gross misdemeanor charge of theft, taking, using or transferring movable property without consent.  All other charges in the case were dismissed. 

The Austin Police Department reported that Wells broke into a garage in July 2021, then broke into three garages, a home, and a vehicle in September 2021.  Wells was accused of stealing a vehicle, three security cameras, two laptop computers, two video game controllers, a subwoofer/amplifier combo, a handgun, ammunition, and $300 cash. 

Wells was sentenced last week to five years of supervised probation, and he was also ordered to pay just over $400 in restitution.