Two teens charged in shooting of Wisconsin Rapids man

Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune

WISCONSIN RAPIDS - Two teens were charged Tuesday in connection with the robbery and shooting of a Wisconsin Rapids man a week before Christmas.

Jorge A. Ochoa Jr., 17, and Pedro Rodriguez-Gonzales, 18, both are charged with being a party to the crimes of armed robbery, armed burglary and reckless injury. If convicted, each man faces a maximum of 80 years in prison.

Ochoa's attorney, Chad Lynch, asked Wood County Circuit Judge Nicholas Brazeau Jr. to reduce a $50,000 cash bond set during an initial court appearance Dec. 26, shortly after they were arrested.

"He is just 17 years old and a senior at River Cities High School," Lynch said, in reference to the alternative high school in Wisconsin Rapids.

Ochoa's mother said he is welcome back at home, and Ochoa would not object to strict conditions on a bond, Lynch said.

Prosecutor David Knappen said the crime was "very violent." The three attackers kicked in a door, said they weren't afraid to shoot someone and then did shoot the homeowner, Knappen said.

Brazeau left the bond at $50,000 for each of the teens, saying he needed to protect the public from Ochoa and Rodriguez-Gonzales. Both teens are scheduled to make their next court appearance on Jan. 30.

According to court documents, on Dec. 19, three males kicked in the door of a home in the 1200 block of High Street, ordered the occupants — three women and a girl — on the floor and demanded drugs and money. The assailants continued to say they weren't afraid to shoot people.

"If you don't give us what we want, we will shoot you," one of the masked males said to the home's occupants, according to the criminal complaint. "We are not afraid to shoot you. This is what we are all about."

The three took marijuana, money and cellphones from the occupants of the home, according to court documents.

The three males left as the home's owner was coming out of the garage, according to court documents. One of the three assailants sprayed the 51-year-old man in the face with pepper spray. The victim grabbed the person with the pepper spray and was shot in the stomach, according to court records.

The third suspect in the home was a 16-year-old boy and has not been charged in adult court, according to police. Another boy, who stayed in the car, told police he heard a "bang" about 10 to 15 minutes after the three teens went inside the residence, according to court documents. All the suspects were arrested before Christmas.