Sturgeon Bay Police have two recent calls where intoxication has lead to poor decision making and a trip to the local jail. The police stress responsible drinking, which means consuming alcohol in moderation...know your limit. Excessive drinking often leads to poor decisions, embarrassment, arrest and in a worst case scenario, tragedy resulting in injury or death.
The homeowner had been awaken by his dog, and
confronted the suspect in his kitchen.
The homeowner was in possession of a gun, telling the suspect to stop
and that he had a gun. The suspect
complied with the homeowner’s instructions and was directed to the porch to wait
for the police arrival. The suspect had
damaged a portion of the homeowner’s backyard fence and the patio screen door. The damage was
consistent with a person trying to force open the door.
The 19 yr old male from Sturgeon Bay was found to be
intoxicated, which was a contributing factor to the suspect’s behavior, as the
suspect did not know how he ended up in the house; the suspect does reside in
the same area of the home he broke into.
Further investigation found the suspect was on pain medication from a
recent surgery, and that may have contributed to his behavior when mixed with the
alcohol.
The suspect was taken to the Door County Jail and charged
with criminal trespass to a dwelling and criminal damage to property. An ordinance citation for consummation of
alcohol underage – 2nd offense was also issued. At this time, there is no evidence to
indicate the suspect was breaking into the house to commit a burglary or
theft.
On August 21 at 12:39am, officers were dispatched to a
residence in Utopia Circle for a report of an unknown male pounding on the
homeowner’s front and back doors. The
homeowner was concerned the suspect may be trying to break in and the first
officer arrived within 3 minutes.
Officers located the male, a 21 yr old man from River
Forest, IL, on the back side of the house yelling, “Let me in or I will kill
you” and he was pounding very hard on the door.
The screen door had been thrown off to the side and was broken. The officer identified himself and when he
went to apprehend him, the suspect took a swing at the officer, missing
him. The officer had to take the suspect
to the ground, where the suspect continued to resist the officer, before he was
handcuffed.
The suspect was found to be highly intoxicated and had
difficulty providing his name and date of birth, which could only be confirmed
from the suspect’s family. Police
discovered the family were in town for a wedding and were staying at The Lodge. Once the suspect was medically cleared at the
hospital, he was taken to jail for disorderly conduct, criminal damage to
property and obstructing/resisting an officer.
It is believed the suspect’s intoxication level contributed
to him not knowing his whereabouts, and he may have thought he was at the
hotel.
