Joseph Rieke Pleads Guilty To Burglary

A Casper man has admitted to breaking into a liquor store.

Joseph Rieke has pleaded guilty to one count of burglary.

Investigators with the Casper Police Department say in late March, Rieke and a friend went to Outlet Liquor on North Poplar Street near I-25, while the store was closed.

Both men discovered a large hole had been busted into the wall of the store, and Rieke asked for help getting in, but his friend refused and Rieke managed to get in on his own.

The manager of the store arrived a short time later to open up the place for the day, and she noticed the wall had been breached and saw the silhouette of a man outside.

Rieke's friend had left to call police.

Officers found Rieke a short time later sleeping on the lawn of the Dairy Queen on Poplar Street, and they observed remnants of drywall pieces on his clothing.

Rieke refused to speak with investigators.

Evidence technicians collected DNA samples from Rieke and it was determined that he had a blood alcohol content of .171 at the time.

As part of a plea deal, prosecutors will seek no more than a two-and-one-half to three-and-one-half year prison sentence.

Rieke is being held on $5,000 bond and will be sentenced at a later date.