One-Day Jury Trial Scheduled For Former John Burke Correctional Inmate Charged With Escape

(Beaver Dam) A one-day jury trial was scheduled Thursday for a former inmate at the John Burke Correctional Center in Waupun charged with committing various crimes while on work release. It started when James Pederson allegedly stole a co-worker’s vehicle from Northwoods Paper Converting in Beaver Dam before stealing two other vehicles; one he crashed into a ditch and another he used to drive himself back to work. The 39-year-old also reportedly stole a vape device from a parked car, attempted to hotwire a truck and took a pair of sunglasses and a set of keys from a house. If convicted, Pederson faces up to 56 years in prison. The trial is scheduled for September 16th.