Suspect in 2019 West Salem burglary pleads not guilty in La Crosse County court

A 38-year-old Eau Claire man pleaded ‘not guilty’ to a break in that occurred five years ago at a West Salem business.

Victor Groner appeared in La Crosse County court Tuesday, facing charges of burglary and theft resulting from a 2019 break in at Kreibich Landscaping in West Salem.

More than $10,000 in tools, including drills, chainsaws and other items, like vehicle keys, were reported stolen from the building during the April 2019 burglary.

A dump truck was also stolen.

Groner was arrested in 2022 in the Eau Claire area. He failed to appear for a previous La Crosse court hearing in the case last year.

Groner was arrested again this month, and now faces charges of burglary, theft of movable property and car theft.

No trial date has been scheduled, but Groner has a status conference in November.