Fritts pleads not guilty in cases relating to thefts

Andrew Gene Fritts was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in a Vernon County Circuit Court on five felony counts of stealing, one felony count of tampering with a witness, and one felony count of tampering with a motor vehicle. The charges stem from a string of incidents from March 15 to March 22 of this year and from a seperate incident on July 17.

The first incident occured March 15, when Fritts is accused of stealing a 1994 Kawasaki four-wheeler belonging to Richard Shorten. On March 19, Fritts allegedly stole a 2003 Suzuki DR650 motorcycle from Martin Redburn, a 1987 Suzuki 250 Quad Sport from William Harper and scrap copper, car radiators and copper air conditioner cores from Dale Koopman. Fritts also is accused of the misdemeanor of damaging a garage door and window at Young Iron and Metal on March 20 and the Class C felonies of burglary and stealing when he allegedly broke into Young Iron and Metal and stole 500 pounds of No. 1 copper and 300 pounds of No. 2 copper. The charge of tampering with a witness stems from a March 22 incident in which Fritts allegedly threatened Jacob Query with physical harm and also threatened to burn Query's truck if Query testified against him concerning the previous incidents he had been involved in.

Circuit Court Judge James Bickel set Sept. 18 as the date for a pre-trial hearing. The same date has been set for a bond revocation hearing. Fritts was arrested on a charge of tampering with a motor vehicle July 17. Vernon County Prosecutor Lynn Ewing III said that he filed for the bond revocation because the July incident occured at a time when Fritts was free on bond.

Fritts' attorney, Robert M. Thompson, entered pleas of not guilty to all charges at the arraignment.