Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com

Published - Sunday, May 04, 2008

Criminal damage charges pending against Tomah man

A Tomah man will face charges for causing thousands of dollars in damage to his aunt’s apartment, where he had been living.

The Tomah Police Department received a call from Adrian S. Champlin’s father in the early morning hours of March 26. According to the incident report, the police had contact with Champlin on two occasions that night, and knew that he was highly intoxicated and somewhat agitated.

Champlin, 27, was found lying inside of a vehicle in the driveway of his father’s home. His father, Kent, told police that Champlin had “trashed” his aunt’s home.

The police noticed a large quantity of blood on and around the vehicle where they found Champlin. He exited the vehicle upon request from the police, and secured his dog, who was also in the vehicle. Champlin was bleeding from his hand, specifically from one of his fingers, and he had blood on his clothes as well.

Champlin was still highly intoxicated when police arrived, according to the report. He advised officer Eric Pedersen that he was mad because his father would not pay for him to go to college. He told officer Pedersen and reporting officer Dustin Walters that he wanted to leave Tomah and “do something with his life.”

When asked what had happened at his aunt’s residence, he said that he had broken the door. His aunt, Diane Miller, had bought the house that he was living in, and his father was also not helping him find another place to live.

Kent Champlin told police that he would help his son go to college, but that he would not help pay for the expensive college that he picked. He also informed police that this had been bothering Champlin.

The officers then investigated the home where Champlin had been living. His aunt had let him live there rent-free, but had recently decided to move in after Champlin found a new residence. Upon seeing the damage at the home, Miller decided that she wanted to press charges against Champlin.

According to the police report, several household items were in the driveway, and the garage door was destroyed. Champlin had also broken the front door, and the living room, dining room and kitchen areas looked “pretty much destroyed.”

Contents of the refrigerator were scattered amongst the debris, and the refrigerator was lying on its side with the freezer door ripped off. Condiments and blood were on the floor, walls and ceiling, and windows were shattered in several rooms. There were also holes in the walls, the bathroom sink and stool were filled with debris, and everything on the walls appeared pulled down and destroyed. The basement was also flooded.

The damages were estimated at $15,000, and Champlin was transported to the Monroe County Jail and booked for felony criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct.

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