Jonathon BIshop
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Lawyers for a Wausau man accused of stealing a squad car after he was arrested for breaking into a Rothschild home are working on a plea deal with the state.
Jonathon Bishop faces over two dozen counts in connection with the case- the most severe of which include taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and fleeing arrest. The list also includes numerous counts of criminal damage to property and theft along with one count of credit card fraud.
Court records show a plea hearing has been scheduled for December 6th. Although a one-day jury trial also remains on the schedule for December 8th.
Charges stem from an April incident in Rothschild where a resident reported someone rummaging through a vehicle. When police arrived, they found the vehicle was empty but did notice a nearby garage door was open.
Officers made contact with the occupants of that house and escorted them out. They managed to find the suspect, believed to be Bishop, hiding in a bathroom and arrested him. As they were processing the scene, officers say Bishop was able to maneuver his way from the backseat of a squad car to the driver’s seat and took off.
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The Marathon County Sheriff’s Department was called in to help chase down the vehicle, but they lost the trail. The squad car was later found in a backyard on Southridge Drive.
Bishop was later found in an attic on nearby Louis Drive.
He’s entered a not guilty plea to the charges and remains jailed on bond. Court records show he’s also facing a count of fraud for an incident at a gas station and possession of meth that are cross-referenced to the case.
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