BEATRICE - A second defendant has been sentenced in an attempted theft investigation at a old river building near Blue Springs, nearly one year ago.
48-year-old John Gruhn, of Stella has been ordered to serve a 90-day Gage County jail sentence for attempted possession of burglary tools.


Gruhn and another man had gone to the privately-owned brick tower building near the Big Blue River, to steal metal fire escape stairs attached to the building. Law officers found several tools at the scene, including sockets, wrenches, a concrete saw, a battery powered drill and an extension ladder pulled up to the second floor, where the two men were located.


Gage County District Judge Rick Schreiner put it bluntly to the journeyman carpenter.


"Mr. Gruhn, I don't know why somebody who can make $50,000 in eight months, would choose to steal a ladder out of an abandoned building. It's just beyond me. Maybe its a sickness, but it certainly doesn't make any fiscal sense placing your life on hold for that period of time and sacrificing that kind of money. The bottom line is..stay off other people's property. You know what you own, keep your hands on that...keep your hands off everybody else's stuff and we'll all get along just fine."


Gruhn pleaded guilty to the charge just prior to being sentenced. Prosecutors dropped seeking an designation of Gruhn being a habitual criminal, as part of a plea agreement.