Courts
Bolstad being released from prison after years behind bars for robbery attempt
After serving four years in state prison for a robbery attempt, a La Crosse man is being released, and will spend a short time on supervision.
A Wisconsin state appeals court recently reversed Randy Bolstad’s existing 5-year prison sentence because of an error by the circuit court, and ordered a resentencing by a different judge.
In court on Wednesday, Judge Todd Bjerke urged Bolstad to continue his treatment for mental health concerns.
Bolstad’s sentence arose from a 2016 incident, where he allegedly threatened his nephew with a baseball bat to get money from him.
“I’m no kid any more,” Bolstad told the judge over Zoom from a Green Bay prison. “I’m 47 years old, and I came to the realization that life is too short to spend even a single day in a prison cell.”
Bjerke complimented Bolstad for making progress in getting sober and seeking treatment, but warned him to have a plan for living outside of prison, because his past record would cause problems if he commits future crimes.
Bolstad was given 15-hundred days credit for time served on his past convictions.