Teen awaiting sentencing arrested in Ohio

A teenager awaiting sentencing for his role in a foiled burglary in Kalispell is back behind bars after allegedly running afoul of law enforcement in Ohio in September.

Colton Theodore Wieczorek, 19, is in the county jail with bail set at $150,000 as he awaits his Nov. 23 sentencing. One of four men arrested in connection with a March burglary on Fourth Avenue East that ended after the quartet allegedly kicked down the wrong door, Wieczorek pleaded guilty to felony criminal endangerment in June.

Initially charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, the teenager struck a deal. In exchange for his guilty plea to a lesser charge, prosecutors agreed to recommend he serve a deferred, three-year sentence. In the meantime, Wieczorek posted his then $40,000 bail and left custody with conditions, including that he reside at a listed Utah address and abstain from alcohol or drugs.

By Sept. 19, though, Wieczorek was in Lorain, Ohio, according to a report from the Lorain Police Department attached to the petition to revoke filed in district court. A sergeant in that agency recalled coming across a truck about 8:30 p.m. matching the description of a vehicle fleeing the scene of a shooting. Tailing the pickup, the sergeant hit his emergency lights and siren when other officers arrived as backup.

A man, later identified as Wieczorek, was taken into custody, according to the report. Officers found one live round and a holster in the vehicle, the report said.

During a subsequent interview, Wieczorek allegedly told investigators he was at a bonfire with an associate — described in court documents as a business partner — when they found out a mutual friend was suffering abuse at the hands of her husband. Wieczorek allegedly said the two rode over and were speaking with her when a shot rang out. He acknowledged that one of them fired back with his gun after running back to the truck to retrieve it, according to the report.

But surveillance footage allegedly showed Wieczorek with his hand in his pocket before the trigger was pulled and a round discharged. According to the report, investigators also found a mark on the asphalt where the round struck.

Investigators confronted Wieczorek with the surveillance footage, who then allegedly admitted keeping a gun in his pocket. The gun went off by accident, he said, according to the report.

Investigators also allegedly smelled the odor of an alcoholic drink on Wieczorek during the interview. Under questioning, he admitted to downing two shots, the report said.

Meanwhile, officers searching Wieczorek’s truck uncovered a handgun with a magazine containing live rounds, according to the report. They also allegedly found a bottle of vodka.

In all, investigators accused Wieczorek of drinking and possessing a handgun while under the age of 21, both illegal in Ohio, as well as discharging a firearm within city limits and lying to investigators, according to the report.

Wieczorek was booked back in the county detention center on Oct. 27. He appeared before Judge Robert Allison the following day. His sentencing remains set for Nov. 23.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.