Plea entered in case of phony robbery

A Lawrence man who concocted a story about a robbery at a local fast-food restaurant entered a plea Wednesday in Douglas County District Court.

Kristopher Wenberg, 21, pleaded no contest to charges of burglary, theft and falsely reporting a crime, stemming from the November incident at Long John Silver’s, 1501 W. 23rd St.

Lawrence police became involved in the case when Wenberg showed up injured at Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, claiming he’d been robbed by two men, who forced him to give up his keys to the restaurant where he worked.

He later admitted to police that he was actually the one who stole money from the business’s safe.

Wenberg is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 12 and could face more than three years in prison and another year in jail.

Another man — Brian Farrar — also was found guilty of felony theft and possession of methamphetamine for his role in the scheme.