Just before three men were charged last Friday with hate crimes for an Eagle Heights attempted break-in, a community meeting was held so that residents had an opportunity to discuss safety concerns in the wake of the incident.
Matthew K. Dorasz, 26, of Madison; Thomas C. Van Zandt, 21, of DePere; and Karl R. Peilmeier, 20, of Darlington were charged with disorderly conduct and a hate crime in addition to weapons misdemeanors.
University of Wisconsin Police arrested the three men early Sunday Oct. 19 for attempting to break into the room of a University Apartments resident while wearing black outfits with WWII German Swastika flags on the arms.
According to the criminal complaint, the suspects were at a white supremacy party downtown with the Eagle Heights resident. The resident left the party without telling anyone, which is a violation of the group’s code of conduct, and the resident said they came to his apartment to seek retaliation.
According to police reports, the subjects fled prior to police arrival, but police stopped their car a short distance away and found two additional suspects inside.
A search subsequent to the arrest of the five individuals revealed that one subject was armed with a straight razor. A large knife and brass knuckles were also found in the car.
The addition of hate crime distinction to the sentence could increase the penalty the suspects face if convicted of any crime. A disorderly conduct conviction carries a maximum one-year penalty in county jail, according to an attorney in the Dane County District Attorney’s office.
At the Eagle Heights community meeting, residents offered suggestions on how to improve their safety overall. Some suggestions the UW will consider are the installation of mirrors in stairwells and the enhancement of interior and exterior lighting.
Overall, Sternbach said the 30 residents present at the meeting feel they live in a safe environment.
“People were not interested in locking doors,” said Jan Sternbach, manager of community services for University Apartments.
Sternbach said she was pleased with the unity the residents felt as a community.
“People were really saying this is our community. We’re not going to let anyone scare us. We’re in this together,” she said.
Speakers at the meeting included officers from the UW Police Department, a victim-response representative from the district attorney’s office, and Director of University Housing Paul Evans.
“[The meeting] was really participatory. A really diverse group of residents showed up,” Sternbach said.
Residents were concerned, however, whether the incident was a one-time occurrence or the beginning of a trend of crimes that would frighten residents, Sternbach said.
