Wiley Tschida. (OTCDF)
Perham, MN – A Perham man suspected for 45 burglaries in Otter Tail County has been sentenced.
On Wednesday (June 25th), 32-year-old Wiley Nash Tschida was sentenced to 3 years at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud for burglary while in possession of a dangerous weapon.
Otter Tail County prosecutors say that in December, deputies were called to a burglary in rural Ottertail similar to 44 other unsolved burglaries around the area. These cases largely consisted of vehicle and garage break-ins in residential or popular lakes within Otter Tail County. Stolen items in the cases included, wallets, purses, firearms, and expensive tools.
Deputies say they were searching for additional sources of surveillance footage and stopped by Stow Away Storage in Ottertail, when they discovered fresh tire tracks and foot tracks consistent with the pattern seen at multiple crime scenes in front of one of the units. A warrant for the unit was granted and deputies located some of the stolen items inside. The owner told deputies the unit was rented by Tschida, and that they believed he had been released from jail in September, 2024, about the time the string of burglaries began.
According to court documents. Tschida was located and stopped at a traffic stop. He said he had not been to his storage unit in several months, but when asked by law enforcement to be honest, he said it could be incriminating. Tschida was taken into custody and a search warrant for his residence was granted, leading deputies to find a pair of shoes with the same tread pattern as the marks seen at some of the burglaries, as well as eleven firearms.
Tschida was charged with fifteen criminal charges, including two counts of 1st degree burglary and one count of 3rd degree burglary. Earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to one count of 1st degree burglary as part of an agreement with prosecutors, and the other fourteen charges were dismissed.
