SHEBOYGAN — A Sheboygan man was sentenced to three years of probation for clogging toilets in a local park and at his place of work, late Monday.
35-year-old Patrick Beeman was charged with 12 counts of criminal damage to property, all considered misdemeanor crimes in Wisconsin, but seven of the charges were dismissed by prosecutors.
Officers found a toilet in a women's bathroom at Deland Community Center clogged by a plastic bottle last March, according to the criminal complaint.
After reviewing 10 similar incidents beginning in April 2017 where toilets were clogged, officers were able to connect Beeman to the crimes after speaking with his employer, according to the complaint.
Officers contacted a manager at the temp agency where Beeman worked, who said that he damaged toilets at a company where he was placed previously. He was only employed there about a month after incidents of a similar nature began to happen, the complaint said.
While prosecutors recommended that he serve 30 days in jail as part of his probation, the Judge sentenced him to 30 days for each of the five counts of criminal damage to property, citing the need for a more severe punishment.
As per the conditions of his sentencing, Beeman will serve 150 days in jail, pay nearly $5,500 in restitution, not be allowed to possess or consume any controlled substances and complete 100 hours of community service.
Beeman is eligible to participate in the Huber program, which will allow him to continue working at his current job but requires him to report back to jail each night.
When speaking with officers, Beeman told police he gets urges to do odd things like look for bottles in the garbage to plug toilets. He supposedly stopped the odd practice after he heard police were investigating.
