Ochs and Parsons Appear In Court For Multiple Burglaries
The two men arrested in connection with multiple auto-burglaries in Laramie made their initial appearances in Albany County Circuit Court today. Justus Ochs and Codey Parsons appeared before Circuit Court Judge Castor for 30 felony charges. The men face three charges of Aggravated Burglary and 27 charges of Burglary.
Aggravated Burglary is a felony punishable by imprisonment of five to 25 years imprisonment or up to $50,000 or both. Burglary is also a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison or $10,000 or both.
This comes after 18-year-old Ochs and 19-year-old Parsons were arrested on August 25 in connection with these crimes. According to an Affidavit in Support and Request for Search Warrant filed in Albany County District Court, the two were caught after a victim of auto burglary reported she had seen someone wearing a zip-up sweatshirt she believed was stolen from her vehicle a couple weeks earlier. Police sent out a department-wide email with a description of the sweatshirt, the hat the man was wearing, and a description of the individual who was seen wearing the clothing.
Police responded to a report of someone matching the description near Shari’s Restaurant around 11 a.m. on August 25 and spoke with Justus Ochs. According to court documents, Ochs was in possession of a Kindle Fire which had a matching serial number to a Kindle Fire that was reported as stolen from another vehicle on the same day.
After taking Ochs into custody, he allegedly admitted to stealing the Kindle and said he had intended to pawn the item for drug money. Documents say officers then contacted Ochs’ roommate, Codey Parsons, at a camper in which they lived. Parsons agreed to go to the police station with officers, where he allegedly admitted to participating in multiple burglaries with Ochs and informed police of stolen merchandise in the camper.
Both men have bond set at $75,000 cash. A preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday, September 2 in Albany County Circuit Court.