Havre man pleads guilty in crime spree

Ryan Schafer of Havre pleaded guilty Friday to two charges stemming from a series of thefts in the Havre area discovered last fall.

Schafer, born in 1977, pleaded guilty before Judge David Cybulski in state District Court in a plea deal to felony charges of theft and criminal mischief. He is scheduled for sentencing May 24.

He was charged with two felony counts of theft and two felony counts of criminal mischief.

In the plea agreement, the Hill County Attorneys Office recommended seven-year suspended sentences, to run at the same time, for the two counts to which Schafer pleaded guilty.

The charges stemmed from Havre police officers finding more than 100 items including firearms and vehicles, which had been reported stolen, at Schafer's residence after he called to report that his girlfriend's Chevrolet Blazer had been stolen.

Also at the residence was Schafer's roommate, Jesus Soto, who was out on bond facing a charge of assault with a weapon. According to the charging documents, "it appeared that both Schafer and Soto were involved in both the thefts and storing of stolen items. "

Soto had not been charged as of this morning with any crimes related to the Nov. 26 search.

Soto pleaded guilty in January to the felony assault charge, stemming from his threatening a woman with a sidearm which he later told the woman was a BB gun.

Judge John C. McKeon found in January that Soto had violated conditions of his release by possessing stolen items and firearms in connection with the November search of Shafer's residence.

On March 14, McKeon sentenced Soto to five years with the state Department of Corrections with three years suspended, following the recommendations in the Adult Probation and Parole presentence investigation.

The Hill County Attorney had recommended a three-year suspended sentence for Soto.

Both Soto and Schafer were arrested after police investigated the residence Nov. 26.

A Havre officer was investigating a report of four stolen vehicles when Schafer called at 3:08 a. m. to report his girlfriend's vehicle being stolen.

The officers investigating the incident found vehicles, reported stolen only hours earlier, at Schafer's residence.

The vehicle Schafer reported stolen was found a few blocks away in the middle of the street, with the engine off but the transmission in "drive" with the key in the "on" position.

While interviewing Soto and Schafer in their residence, the officer conducting the interviews noticed several items that had been reported stolen, including items reported stolen with the vehicles earlier that day.

After the officer noticed those items similar to items reported stolen, Schafer told him to stop searching the residence.

Officers then obtained a search warrant and continued the search of the residence. The initial investigation found 142 pieces of evidence.

Some of the items identified were reported stolen Nov. 25 or 26, others had been reported stolen in the weeks, even months, previous to the search.

Two of the people who had reported their vehicles stolen that day discovered damage when the vehicles were recovered. One found damage including two front tires being deflated and damage to the undercarriage.

Another reported that a stereo had been ripped from his vehicle, damaging the mounting area, as well as his finding damage to the glove box and to the vehicle door.

Items found in the residence identified as suspected stolen property included numerous firearms, including a shotgun which Schafer said belonged to him. Later checks identified the shotgun as having been reported stolen from a vehicle in September.

Other items identified as stolen included a chainsaw, binoculars, a cot, tools, a purse, a bottle containing prescription drugs, an 18-pack of beer and a bottle of wine.