Jia Bang Wen Is Bound Over to District Court on Burglary Charges

Jia Bang Wen, who is charged with two counts of burglary, waived his preliminary hearing and was bound over to state district court for trial on Thursday, District Attorney Mike Blonigen said.

"Each count of burglary -- and of course he like everybody else he is presumed innocent until proven guilty, they're just charges -- it's zero to 10 (years imprisonment) and up to a $10,000 fine is the maximum penalty," Blonigen said

Wen, 19, and two accomplices allegedly burglarized both the Corner Upholstery business and the Wyoming National Apartments Office in mid-June, according to court records.

Detectives were able to identify the burglaries through surveillance camera footage, and when interviewed, all of them eventually confessed, according to court documents.

Wen already had made his initial appearance in Natrona County Circuit Court where he heard the charges against him.

The preliminary hearing is conducted for the state to present evidence that there is probable cause that a crime was committed and the accused person committed it. If the judge agrees, the case is bound over for trial, Blonigen said.

Wen will be arraigned in Natrona County District Court in four to six weeks when he will enter a plea, and a trial date will then be set, he said.