ELKHORN — A former Dancing Horses Theatre employee will appear in court today on multiple criminal charges related to the July 9 burglary of $5,000 from the Delavan Township business.
Rick Fores, 50, of Milwaukee is charged with party to burglary, threatening to accuse someone of a crime and party to theft. The charges are felonies and each has a prison term of up to six years.
He also is charged with misdemeanor criminal damage to property.
Fores is accused of participating in the burglary of a business owned by Dana Montana. She gained national recognition for her singing parrot on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
Fores is to appear at 1 p.m. before Walworth County Judge John Race.
The $5,000 was for the operations of the theatre, and the Sugar Shack, a Lake Geneva strip club owned by Montana. Some of the cash was kept in a safe and some in a desk drawer. Business files also were taken, according to court records.
When questioned by Town of Delavan police, Fores said he had hired a private detective to break into the theatre and get financial records, according to a criminal complaint.
Fores refused to tell police the name of his investigator.
When Montana returned to her theatre, she discovered the missing money and found a note on her desk that read: “Any calls to the police and my private investigator will make sure all the records will be personally delivered to the feds. You should remember them from the last time you were booked for tax evasion.”
Police found a window screen removed and the window glass of broken at the theatre, the complaint stated. Police said it appeared the safe had been opened by using its combination.
Montana told police that a computer, flash drive and four external USB devices had been taken. The computer contained all of the business and personal records for the Dancing Horses and the Sugar Shack, according to the complaint.
The complaint further states:
During a police interview, Fores said he did not have the files or money. Fores said he hired a private investigator to break in and collect information on Montana’s businesses.
Fores said he told his investigator how to get into the building and where the files were located. Fores said he did not tell his investigator to take any money, but advised that there may be cash in the safe, which could be a bonus. Fores said he gave the investigator the safe’s combination.
Fores also told police he gave the note for Montana to his investigator to place at the scene.
http://liarcatchers.com/civil_investigations.html
