12-16-13 beaver dam man accused of burglarizing former sheriff's home charged

A Beaver Dam man accused of burglarizing the home of former Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls this week made his initial Dodge County Circuit Court appearance Friday.  45 year old Scott Schonitzer is charged with felony burglary armed with a dangerous weapon, felony theft, and misdemeanor theft.  A criminal complaint says Nehls’ son Taylor, who is a sheriff’s deputy, stopped by his parents’ house in Fox Lake to pick up some equipment to go ice fishing and caught Schonitzer in the act.  Schonitzer claimed that he was at the home to install a sound system.  The complaint says Taylor Nehls took Schonitzer into custody, and while performing a search, Nehls found a handgun belonging to his father in Schonitzer’s pocket.  Taylor held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived.  If convicted, Schonitzer faces up to 22 years in prison and 70 thousand dollars in fines.  A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 19^th.