Fred J. Landolt III

WARSAW — A man who entered the home of another and stole a pickle jar containing change, was sentenced to five years at the Indiana Department of corrections, but will only serve two years in the county jail. The remainder will be on probation.

Fred J. Landolt III, 26, 729 E. Fort Wayne St., Warsaw, was sentenced today, Thursday, April 21, in Kosciusko Superior Court 1. Through a plea agreement he pleaded guilty to burglary, a level 4 felony. The charge of theft, a class A misdemeanor, was dismissed.

Brad Voelz, chief deputy prosecuting attorney, told the judge his wife had a salad bowl that was her grandmother’s and very important to her. While fixing dinner, Voelz dropped the bowl and it broke. He felt terrible. “I didn’t wait for days. I cleaned up the mess,” said Voelz, adding he admitted to what he had done and made an apology. “What has he done the last 4 ½ months to clean up the mess he’s done?” he stated. Voelz added he had done nothing.

Joe Sobek, counsel for Landolt, stated his client has started making things right. He immediately admitted to what he had done and sought to understand why and the circumstances of what happened. “He’s led a law abiding life,” said Sobek, noting this would be his first conviction in eight years. That was a misdemeanor.

Judge David Cates noted Landolt could serve his sentence at the work release department, if he qualified and ordered him to pay the victim $68.63. “I wonder why you haven’t done this already.”

Landolt was arrested after he entered the home of Steven Berlin on Dec. 2, 2015, and removed a pickle jar containing change. He then left the home through the back door. At least one neighbor saw Landolt looking in a bedroom window, while another neighbor saw Landolt leave with the pickle jar. A video camera at a business shows Landolt at a coin star machine getting money for the change.