An Oelwein man has been arrested in connection with a series of car burglaries. The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office reports 40-year-old Michael Rohrick of Oelwein is facing nearly 30 counts in burglary charges for crimes in Hazleton and Independence. He was taken into custody Saturday when police initiated a traffic stop. The Sheriff’s Office says it received several calls reporting vehicle burglaries in Hazleton throughout the early morning of Thursday, March 26th. Around 3:30 that morning, a caller reported their vehicle was stolen from the 100 block of First Street South. Later that morning, Independence police received a call about a person trying to access vehicles on the 400 block of 14th Avenue NE. That caller was able to describe the suspect’s car which matched with the vehicle stolen from Hazleton hours before. Two Buchanan County Deputies located the vehicle and tried to perform a traffic stop, but the office says the driver lost control of the car and entered a ditch, rolling the vehicle. Rohrick was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries before being taken into custody Saturday. He is also facing a charge for Burglary to residence. Rohrick also has an arrest warrant for Third Degree Theft and Identity Theft charges out of Buchanan County.
