Man leaves drug-filled backpack behind in local library and later tried to reclaim his bag from police

On May 6, police in Shawano County, Wisconsin, were called to the Shawano Library after employees there discovered a backpack left behind that contained three bags of meth. The bag also contained a set of martial arts weapons, nunchucks, and some other items.  Police ended up taking that backpack into custody, according to a May 10 report from WSVN.

Later in the day on May 6, a Shawano resident, 31-year-old Joel Mullin-Romo, arrived at the police station to claim the backpack he left in the library. 

ABC 12 News in Wisconsin quoted Shawano Police Chief Dan Mauel as saying, “Most people won’t show up and ask for it back if they know it has contraband in there, but this guy decided he wanted to get his meth back.”

Mullin-Romo told police that his former girlfriend, who was a prostitute and drug dealer, hacked his accounts, stole his identity and tried to have him killed, according to WBAY. He also told the police that the nunchucks were his and that he carried them for his own protection. Court papers revealed that, according to Mullin-Romo’s statements, all the items found in Mullin-Romo’s backpack were taken from his ex-girlfriend’s purse.

During the course of their investigation, police discovered that Mullin-Romo was on probation for a previous Burglary conviction.  Police arrested Mullin-Romo and charged him with drug possession.

All the while, Mullin-Romo kept telling police that, “we were wrong and were arresting the wrong person. Mullin-Romo stated he was doing his own investigation.”

On the day following his arrest, Joel Mullin-Romo appeared in court via video from the Shawano County Jail. The judge overseeing his hearing set his bond at $500.

~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter