Waukesha man charged with breaking into squad car
Waukesha - Daniel J. Heideman, 27, readily admits that he "does stupid things when he drinks."
Case in point: When he got drunk in August and needed a place to stay overnight, he broke into a community room in a Waukesha apartment complex and slept on a couch, according to a criminal complaint filed this week. Before that, he broke into a squad car of a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper in the Loft Apartments underground parking garage at 1408 Rockridge Road and stole a file from the back seat marked "confession."
The next morning, on Aug. 8, the state trooper alerted Waukesha police that someone had smashed the rear window of his squad car, bent the windshield wiper and removed some files, the complaint states.
When the officer arrived, Heideman was standing outside the complex, staring into space with bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. The officer subsequently located the trooper's file in an oven in the room next to the community room in the apartment complex.
According to the complaint, the complex has surveillance video, but Heideman had ripped the camera off the ceiling and pushed it up into the drop ceiling.
Heideman first denied the break-ins, but later confessed, saying he got into an argument with his mom and left the house, looking for a place to sleep. Heideman told police he is unemployed, has a drinking problem and has been in and out of rehab.
"The defendant admitted he does stupid things when he drinks," the complaint says.
Heideman was charged Tuesday with entry into a locked vehicle, criminal damage to property and entry into a locked room. A warrant for his arrest was issued Monday.
If convicted, Heideman could be sentenced to up to two years and three months in prison and up to $30,000 in fines.
