Pubdate: Sat,10 July 1999
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Copyright: 1999, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Contact:  414-224-8280
Website: http://www.jsonline.com/
Forum: http://www.jsonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimate.cgi
Author: Lisa Sink, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff

MAN CONVICTED OF KEEPING DRUG HOUSE

Ruling Comes Day After City Of New Berlin Gets Possession Of His Home

Waukesha - A New Berlin man was convicted Friday of maintaining a drug
house, one day after his tenants' alleged drug activity caused him to lose
his $100,000 home to the city.

Robert Stefani, 46, pleaded no contest Friday to the felony drug house
charge and will face a maximum one-year prison term when sentenced on July 28.

But prosecutors plan to recommend probation with jail time and drug abuse
treatment. Under a plan approved by another judge Thursday, 20% of the
proceeds of the home sale will go to state corrections officials to pay for
Stefani's treatment.

Any portion of that 20% that is not needed to fund his rehabilitation will
be returned to Stefani if he complies with the orders of his sentence.

Stefani and the state wanted to proceed with sentencing Friday, but Circuit
Judge Joseph Wimmer set the July 28 date, saying he needed more time to
review documents filed by the defense.

Wimmer, however, convicted Stefani of the felony drug house charge and
dismissed two misdemeanor charges for possession of cocaine and drug
paraphernalia as requested by prosecutors.

Last October, county drug agents raided Stefani's two-story Cape Cod home
in the 17800 block of W. Roosevelt Ave. and arrested Stefani and three
others who were living there.

One of Stefani's tenants, Jack Goehring, 34, failed to show up for his
court appearance Friday on charges of possessing cocaine and related
paraphernalia. He was set to go to trial next week.

Goehring's attorney, Amy Acker, said she believed Goehring had moved to an
unknown location in Waukesha and she had not had heard from him. Circuit
Judge Joseph Wimmer revoked Goehring's bail and ordered that he be arrested
and returned to court.

Another tenant, Robert Demshar, has been sentenced. Described as the
ringleader, Demshar is serving a 20-year prison term for selling up to
$1,000 worth of crack cocaine a day from Stefani's home.

It is Demshar's third trip to prison this decade for dealing or possessing
cocaine.

The fourth person arrested and charged, Demshar's girlfriend, Rebecca
Miller, 31, awaits sentencing for possessing cocaine with the intent to
deliver.

She was convicted in February when she pleaded guilty to the felony charge
and faces a maximum 15-year prison term.

After the October raid, New Berlin city officials petitioned the court to
board up and deem the home uninhabitable under a state drug abatement
public nuisance law.

Only one other city, Waukesha, had used the law. In 1992, Waukesha city
officials temporarily shut down a home where a couple were dealing cocaine.
But unlike New Berlin, the city did not seek to take ownership and sell
that Waukesha house.

Stefani signed papers Thursday giving up his $100,000 home to the city,
which will repair and sell it.

"I kind of don't think it's fair," he said of the home loss. "But I got
myself into a situation."

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