Man accused of clogging toilets with plastic bottles, said he had 'very strong urges to do this'

SHEBOYGAN -- Patrick Beeman of Sheboygan pleaded not guilty to 12 misdemeanor counts of criminal damage to property. This, for allegedly clogging public toilets with plastic bottles. The alleged "serial toilet clogger" was arrested after a year-long investigation. He's accused of costing the city thousands of dollars.

According to a criminal complaint, officers were on routine patrol at the Deland Community Center on March 11, 2018 and "found the toilet in the women's bathroom to be clogged." The officer noticed water overflowing onto the floor from the toilet. A clear plastic bottle had been lodged in the bottom of the toilet bowl.

When officers reviewed records for other incidents like the one at the Deland Community Center, they found 10 different incidents that were very similar in nature -- dating back to April 2017.

Sheboygan police posted several times about the incidents on Facebook, hoping to catch the serial toilet clogger.

In April 2018, officers received information that Beeman had been clogging toilets at a workplace in summer 2017. This had apparently been going on for several weeks. When Beeman was relocated to another workplace, the criminal complaint says he was arrested after his manager allegedly told police about the incidents at his previous workplace.

When investigators finally got in touch with Beeman, they asked whether he had been clogging toilets. The complaint indicates at first Beeman was "reluctant to admit to being responsible for the toilet clogging, but stated that he remembers doing approximately two of them." When officers told him there were at least 12 reported cases, he "acknowledged that he was responsible for likely that many." Beeman also stated "he could not explain this behavior, but simply that he would get very strong urges to do this," the complaint says.

Officials estimate the damage done by these instances caused about $2,000 in damage.

The Sheboygan County district attorney declined to comment about this case, and calls to Beeman's attorney were not returned. Beeman is due back in court on Aug. 13 for a pre-trial conference.