Rental property in the 700 block of 3rd Avenue in Wausau. Image courtesy: WAOW-TV
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — A Wausau property owner has reached a plea deal for providing poor living conditions for tenants at his property near downtown and tampering with public notices from the city.
Bryan Morel of Mosinee pled no contest to four counts of theft by false representation, three felony counts for stealing between $5,000 and $10,000, and one misdemeanor count for stealing between $2,500 and $5,000. As part of the deal, another count of tampering with public notices was dismissed but read into the record for consideration as part of his sentence. A sixth count of violation of public notices was dismissed outright.
Those charges have now been deferred for five years. If Morel does not have any new charges against him in that time the state will further downgrade the three felony charges to misdemeanor and dismiss the misdemeanor count outright.
Morel was accused of not complying with city orders regarding his rental property on 3rd Avenue, which had been declared unfit for human habitation. City inspectors had repeatedly put notices on the property stating as much, but Morel removed them and continued to rent the property out. Tenants also complained that he failed to provide adequate maintenance of the building. That included failing to fix a heater that had broken during the winter and burst pipes. Cockroaches were also found in the units and an attached bar.
Morel had previously pled not guilty to the charges.
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