South Washington County men charged with stealing golf carts later sold on Craiglist

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Three south Washington County men are accused of stealing power carts from a Cottage Grove golf course that were later sold on Craigslist.

Washington County prosecutors recently charged Brett M. Wetterling and Nickolas C. Lauber, both of Newport, and Cottage Grove resident Travis R. Holm each with one count of felony theft in connection with the alleged thefts from Mississippi Dunes Golf Links. A third Newport man, 22-year-old John E. Nick, is charged with receiving stolen property, also a felony.

According to the criminal complaints:

Mississippi Dunes reported in July 2011 that two golf carts were stolen. Cottage Grove police received information from an anonymous tipster in August that the four men were involved in the theft.

Police obtained a search warrant for Nick’s home and found one of the carts, painted and missing its serial number. Nick allegedly said the cart was dropped off by Lauber and Holm.

In a police interview, Wetterling said Lauber and Holm used Lauber’s pickup truck to steal two golf carts in June. Wetterling said the three of them dropped off one of the carts at Nick’s home. A few weeks later, Wetterling said, the three of them returned to Mississippi Dunes and stole two more golf carts. Wetterling said Lauber sold two carts for $1,000 apiece on Craiglist, the online classified site.

In subsequent police interviews, Lauber and Holm verified information police obtained during their investigation, according to the complaint.

Holm is scheduled to appear in Washington County District Court Jan. 12, while Wetterling has a Jan. 18 appearance. Nick’s next court appearance is set for Jan. 25, Lauber’s Jan. 26.

Tags: crime and courts, updates, crime