3 days ago
Power substation damaged; Milwaukee man accused of trying to cut live wire
The Brief
A Milwaukee man is accused of breaking into a We Energies substation in St. Francis.
James Schneck faces two criminal counts for property damage at the substation on March 14.
The criminal complaint indicates Schneck was seriously hurt when he tried to cut a live wire.
ST. FRANCIS, Wis. - A 45-year-old Milwaukee man who is a self-proclaimed "scrapper" is accused of breaking into a We Energies substation in St. Francis. The accused is James Schneck – and he faces the following criminal counts:
Criminal trespass to energy provider property
Intentional damage to energy provider property
What we know
According to the criminal complaint, St. Francis police were dispatched on the morning of Friday, March 14 to the We Energies substation on S. Kinnickinnic Avenue just south of Howard Avenue for a property damage complaint.
When officers arrived on the scene, they spoke with a We Energies employee who said "someone had forcefully gained entry to the substation through the secure fenced-in area to steal copper. (The employee) said the suspect tried to cut a live wire and was likely electrocuted by an extremely large amount of volts. (The employee) further stated that if the suspect wasn't already dead, he believed it was only a matter of time," the complaint says. The suspect also left tools and clothing behind, the employee noted.
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The criminal complaint says the We Energies employee estimated the amount of damage caused by the suspect to be around $100,000.
Officers contacted detectives, a K-9 officer and drone officers to try to locate the suspect who was likely injured. A detective on the scene found a cellphone in a bag left behind by the suspect. That detective took a photo of the lock screen photo and uploaded it to automated facial recognition software. That software provided a close match to James Schneck, the defendant. The detective also called 911 from the cellphone to identify the phone number, which was also paired with Schneck.
An officer also contacted an employee at Complete Recycling, near the substation. Surveillance "video depicted an explosion at the We Energies substation and depicted an individual on a bicycle riding away from the substation approximately 20 minutes after the explosion," the complaint says.
Investigators were able to identify Schneck was in a relationship with someone who lived about two miles from the We Energies substation. When they went to the residence, they found a bicycle leaning up against a garage. But there was no response at the door. Investigators then spoke with the landlord who said the woman "contacted him that morning via text saying (the woman) was taking her 'man' to St. Mary's hospital after being in a 'freak accident at work' and has '2nd degree burns all over his face,'" the complaint says.
Detectives then reached out to the St. Mary's Burn Unit and spoke to the woman. She indicated she had been sleeping when Schneck arrived at her apartment needing her help. She told detectives "Schneck told her something blew up in his face and he couldn't see, so (the woman) called 911," the complaint says. A nurse told detectives they did not find any evidence Schneck was electrocuted, but they suspected he was likely an opiate addict based on his reaction to ketamine.
On May 28, a detective went to the woman's apartment to talk about Schneck's whereabouts. She said she did not know where he was. But the complaint says the detective noticed men's shoes in the kitchen area. During the conversation, the woman motioned over her shoulder to the detective. The detective and an officer later located Schneck in a bedroom closet. He was taken into custody.
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Detectives conducted an in-custody interview with Schneck. He said he was released from the hospital about four days after the We Energies incident, even though he couldn't open his eye all the way. When asked about what happened, Schneck said, "You guys know. You guys know what happened. I thought I died because when I opened my eyes, all I saw was a bright light," the complaint says. When asked what the pain was like, Schneck said, "I can't even describe it. It felt like my face was being burned with a blow torch," the complaint says. Schneck also told investigators "he was doing this to make ends meet and that he has been scrapping for years," the complaint says.
What's next
Schneck was scheduled to make his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Friday, May 30.
The Source
The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case.
