Officials: Burglary spree lasted for over a year
Burglary spree map
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Brandon Kinder
JANESVILLE — The day after he was in Lafayette County Court on burglary charges, Brandon Kinder was at it again—trying to break into a house in western Green County, according to court documents.
Later that day, he was arrested after a burglary to an Orfordville home, ending what police say was a 20-month spree in six counties.
Kinder, 26, of Orfordville, pleaded not guilty Thursday in a Rock County Court to nine counts in connection to the Orfordville burglary and another burglary July 12 in Beloit. He is being held in the Rock County Jail on a $53,600 cash bond.
Investigators say Kinder committed his crimes with two relatives, his uncle Daniel Hodge before October 2010, when Kinder and Hodge were arrested near Cambridge. Later, he worked with his cousin Matthew Kinder after Brandon Kinder was released on bond in February 2011.
Kinder and Hodge, 33, are accused of committing burglaries in Rock, Lafayette, La Crosse, Vernon, Jefferson and Walworth counties. Court records show they broke into homes, a campground office, eight bars and two churches.
Hodge told Vernon County investigators he and Kinder started burglarizing homes at night. They targeted money, laptops, flat-screen televisions and video game equipment, according to court records.
The items were easy to sell to pawn shops, Hodge told investigators.
Hodge said they liked to target middle-class houses because the homeowners were more careless about security. He said they really liked two story homes because the owners slept upstairs and didn't hear them break in downstairs.
Hodge bragged about the excitement of being in homes and walking next to sleeping victims as they stole property, according to court records.
Kinder and Hodge split the profits from the burglaries, Hodge told investigators. He said they "basically lived off the proceeds" of the break-ins.
However, burglarizing houses was not producing enough money. Around September 2010, Kinder and Hodge began targeting bars, according to court documents.
The pair scoped out bar security systems by visiting the bars, having a few beers and playing pool, Hodge told investigators.
Hodge told investigators he was involved in about 75 burglaries in various places in Wisconsin, according to court records.
During most of the burglaries, Kinder told investigators, he was the lookout "because he could spot a cop car a mile away."
The two men were arrested Oct. 29, 2010, while attempting to break into D-Day's Bar and Grill near Cambridge. The Rock County Sheriff's Office had been tracking Kinder and Hodge after receiving an anonymous tip that Hodge was bragging about stealing ATMs from bars, according to court documents.
Hodge was sentenced in Lafayette County Court on June 30 to four years and six months in prison. He still has open cases against him in Vernon, Walworth, Rock and Jefferson counties.
Kinder was released on bond in six counties and had been attending hearings and status updates throughout the year. The court cases for the 2010 burglaries are all still pending.
After a rash of July burglaries, the Rock County Sheriff's Office issued a press release July 21 warning residents about the crimes.
Later that day, Kinder and his cousin Matthew Kinder, 22, of Beloit were arrested after the Orfordville burglary.
More charges appear likely in Kinder's future.
Green County District Attorney Gary Luhman said they have evidence linking Brandon and Matthew Kinder to between eight and 12 burglaries in the Brodhead area between July 1 and July 21.
Luhman said investigators are sorting through a "ton" of evidence taken from Brandon Kinder's residence.
Rock County Sheriff Capt. Todd Christiansen said the state crime lab still is sorting through evidence, and more charges could follow.
Brandon Kinder is scheduled to appear in Rock County Court on Sept. 22.
Matthew Kinder is scheduled to appear Tuesday.
BURGLARIES TIMELINE
Authorities suspect Brandon Kinder of Orfordville in dozens of burglaries in southern and western Wisconsin. Authorities believe he committed some with his uncle Daniel Hodge before October 2010, when Kinder and Hodge are arrested near Cambridge. Authorities say Kinder later committed other burglaries with his cousin Matthew Kinder after Brandon Kinder is released on bond in February 2011.
The following is drawn from police interviews and court documents:
Dec. 2, 2009: Burglary to a home in Stoddard. Reported stolen are $1,000 in cash and a laptop computer.
Between Jan. 13 and March 1, 2010: Burglary to a home in Stoddard. Reported stolen are two television sets, five laptop computers, a Nazi railroad police helmet and two digital cameras. The homeowners are on vacation from January until March.
April 3, 2010: Burglary to a home in La Crosse. Reported stolen are a wallet and a purse.
June 20, 2010: Burglary to a home in La Crosse. Reported stolen is a purse.
June 23, 2010: Burglary to a home in Stoddard. Reported stolen is a wallet with $320 inside.
June 24, 2010: Burglary to a home in Shelby. Reported stolen are a television, camcorder, digital camera and a flashlight.
June 25, 2010: Burglary to a home in Shelby. Reported stolen is a purse.
June 25, 2010: Burglary to a home in Shelby. Reported stolen is a purse.
July 2010: Burglary to a home in La Crosse. Reported stolen are a purse and a digital camera.
July 2010: Burglary to a home in La Crosse. Reported stolen are a laptop and $1,200 in cash.
July 1, 2010: Burglary to a home in the 2400 block of Apache Court, Janesville. Reported stolen is a purse.
July 11, 2010: Burglary to a church in Stoddard. Reported stolen is a lockbox with several gift-cards inside.
July 15, 2010: Burglary to a campground office in Stoddard. Reported stolen is a cash register with $125 inside.
July 26, 2010: Burglary to a home in the 2200 block of South Willard Avenue, Janesville. The burglars awaken a women who yells, "What the hell do you think you're doing!" causing the pair to flee the home.
Aug. 10, 2010: Burglary to a home in Campbell. Reported stolen are a laptop computer and $800 in cash. Kinder later told police they threw the laptop into the Black River while they are driving over a bridge.
Aug. 17, 2010: Burglary to a home in La Crosse. Reported stolen are a bow and other items from the homeowner's garage.
Aug. 16, 2010: Burglary to a home in the 2200 block of Garden Drive, Janesville. Reported stolen are a purse and a wallet.
Aug. 23, 2010: Burglary to a home in the 1300 Josephine Street, Janesville. The home is broken into but nothing is taken.
Aug. 23, 2010: Burglary to a home on the 1300 Josephine Street, Janesville. Burglars awaken a man who yells at the pair and chases them down the street.
Aug. 24, 2010: Burglary to a home on the 10000 block of North Allendale Road, Edgerton. Reported stolen are a 42-inch flat screen television, several bottles of perfume and a lifejacket.
Aug. 24, 2010: Burglary to a home in the Richmond Township in Walworth County. Reported stolen are a 46-inch flat-screen television and $200 cash.
Aug. 28, 2010: Burglary to Rock Prairie Presbyterian Church, 8605 E. County A, Janesville. Reported stolen are two laptop computers.
Sept. 8, 2010: Burglary to Afton Pub and Park, 4910 S. County D, Afton. Reported stolen is an ATM. The ATM later is found in a field across the street from the pub severely damaged with the money still inside.
Sept. 18, 2010: Burglary to Bogg Trotters Bar, 2006 N. County E, Janesville. Reported stolen are five cartons of cigarettes and $50 cash.
Sept. 19, 2010: Burglary to Hanson's Hollow Bar, 1012 W. Happy Hollow Road, Janesville. Reported stolen is a money changer with $500 inside.
Sept. 21, 2010: Burglary to Castaways Bar and Grill, 3515 W. County M, Edgerton. Reported stolen is a safe with $1,142 inside. The bar's ATM is pried open.
Sept. 22, 2010: Burglary to Lucke's Cantina, 220 Elkhorn Road, Williams Bay. Reported stolen is an ATM. The ATM later is found in a creek and the money inside is missing.
Sept. 26-27, 2010: Burglary to the Wayside Inn, W4820 Highway 18, Jefferson. Reported stolen are steaks, soda and liquor.
Oct. 1, 2010: Burglary to Charlie's Place Tavern, at 2020 E. Racine St., Janesville. Surveillance video shows two men entering the bar and checking the gaming machines for money. They leave after discovering the machines are empty.
Oct. 5, 2010: Burglary to Charlie's Inn, Selby. Reported stolen are cigarettes and cash from a jukebox, tabletop game, video poker machines, pool tables, quarter machine and a bucket. Kinder and Hodge also attempted to break into an ATM.
Oct. 13, 2010: Rock County Sheriff's Office receives an anonymous tip that Hodge and Kinder are breaking into bars and stealing ATMs.
Oct. 18, 2010: Burglary to Annie's Bar & Grill, Darlington. Reported stolen are $5,110 from a safe and cash bags.
Oct. 26, 2010: Burglary to Bryden Motors, 548 Broad St., Beloit. Reported stolen is $250 in cash from a register. The burglars also try to break into a safe using a torch found in the garage.
Oct. 26, 2010: Sheriff's detectives conducting surveillance on Hodge report seeing him and Kinder enter the D-Day Bar near Cambridge.
Oct. 29, 2010: Kinder and Hodge are arrested attempting to burglarize the D-Day Bar.
Feb. 15, 2011: Kinder is released on bail after appearing in Walworth County Court. He previously was released on bail in the other five counties where he is facing charges.
June 30, 2011: Hodge is sentenced in Lafayette County to four years and six months in prison.
July 12, 2011: Burglary to a home on the 11000 block of West Beloit-Newark Road, Beloit. Reported stolen are a drill, three vacuums, kitchen knife set, sound systems, case of wine and change, valued at $1,470
July 20, 2011: Kinder attends a court hearing in Lafayette County.
July 21, 2011: Burglary to a home on the 12000 block of West Beloit-Newark Road, Orfordville. Reported stolen are a safe and video game equipment.
July 21, 2011: The Rock County Sheriff's Office issues a press release about a string of July residential burglaries at the following locations:
-- 1700 block of South Murphy Road, Footville.
-- 1400 block of West Spring Valley Road, Spring Valley Township.
-- 11000 block South Clinton Corners Road, Clinton.
-- 1400 block of Old Highway 11, Footville.
-- 7300 and 8800 blocks of South County Highway K, Orfordville.
-- 11000 block of West Skinner Road, Brodhead.
-- 1100 block of South County D, Janesville.
-- 2900 block of East Highway 59, Milton.
-- 2000 block of East Ridge Road, Beloit.
-- 2100 block of East Ridge Road, Beloit.
-- 9100 block of South Pinnow Grove Road, Beloit.
-- 7000 block of North Tolles Road, Evansville.
-- 1800 block of Sherwood Drive, Janesville.
-- 9700 block of West County H, Orfordville.
-- 9900 block of West County H, Orfordville.
-- 9800 block of West Laird Road, Beloit.
-- 6700 block of South Smith Road, Clinton.
July 21, 2011: Kinder arrested at his home in Orfordville following break in on the 12000 block of West Beloit-Newark Road, Orfordville.
July 22, 2011: Charges filed in Rock County against Kinder, held in jail on a $50,100 cash bond.
Aug. 2, 2011: Additional charges filed in Rock County, bond raised to $53,600.
