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Thief breaks into home, then floods home with toilet water

Posted at 4:20 PM, Oct 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-18 07:51:36-04

Someone forced their way into a Milwaukee over the weekend, leaving a disgusting surprise for the man who lives there. 

The incident was reported to police Monday after the tenant came home from vacation to find his entire unit flooded with toilet water. Not only that, the suspect used the toilet and then jammed the handle down to keep the water running.

Kelly Fricano and her husband own the home near and rent it out. Fricano said the bedroom, basement and kitchen were flooded with raw sewage. 

In addition, the suspect took electronics, clothing, shoes and collector's items from the man who rents the unit. 

"When we were speaking with the police last night, they said the biggest problem is the drug epidemic in the city," Fricano said. "People are just very desperate for cash and they will do anything but this seems to go above and beyond that." 

The original hardwood floors in the bedroom and the kitchen tiles will have to be ripped up and replaced. And the baseboards will have to be cleaned and disinfected. 

The sewage water damaged multiple items on the floor, including an antique trunk that the tenant said came through Ellis Island with his grandmother, who immigrated from Greece.

Insurance is covering the damage, but the tenant will be out of a home for at least two months. 

Fricano said she plans to install a new security system to deter anything from happening again. But she wishes criminals faced harsher punishments. 

"We love the East side, it's a great area and I want to feel safe walking around, I want my three children to feel safe walking around, and it's getting bad so we need to fix it soon," she said.