Bond reduction denied for accused burglar
GREENCASTLE -- A bond reduction request has been denied for a man charged in connection with multiple burglaries in Russellville.
Robert L. Washburn, 30, faces three counts of Class C burglary and four counts of Class D felony theft. He was arrested on Sept. 9, and the following day at his initial hearing Judge Matthew Headley set Washburn's bond at $25,000 cash only.
Washburn's public defender, Joel Wieneke, requested a bond reduction for his client on Sept. 17. A hearing was held on Sept. 30, at which time Headley heard testimony and took the matter under advisement.
Headley entered a denial of the request on Thursday.
Washburn is accused of committing three burglaries on Sept. 1. According to court documents, various tools, sporting goods and other items were taken from garages, outbuildings and vehicles at three separate Russellville homes on that date.
A witness contacted police on Sept. 4 to report that he had seen several items on the porch of Washburn's home, including a leaf blower -- one of the items that had been reported stolen.
An investigation revealed that Washburn has pawned the leaf blower in Crawfordsville, along with a stolen Sawzall.
After obtaining a search warrant for Washburn's home, police found several other items matching the descriptions of those reported stolen in the Sept. 1 burglaries.
Washburn's next scheduled court date is a pretrial conference on Oct. 28. He has pled not guilty to all charges.
Washburn could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.