Two University of Wisconsin students were charged with several felony counts Thursday after allegedly vandalizing the Towers Residence Hall Sept. 24 using fire extinguishers.
The Dane County Circuit Court charged both Andrew Goldemberg, a UW freshman, and Daniel Lindholm, a UW sophomore, with three felonies: criminal damage to property, criminal trespassing and interference with firefighting equipment.
According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, the suspects were originally arrested and brought to jail but posted bail on misdemeanor charges. Goldemberg and Lindholm are scheduled to make their initial court appearances this Thursday, he added.
The criminal complaint said the students lived in the Towers at the time of the incident, and in the early morning hours of Sept. 24, the students allegedly used two fire extinguishers from the building and engaged in a duel in the hallway of the tenth floor.
"One or more persons had discharged fire extinguishers on several floors and several rooms," the complaint said. "There was a tremendous amount of white powder in the hallways."
After the incident in the hallway, Goldemberg and Lindholm allegedly walked to the ninth floor and began opening any unlocked doors, spraying the extinguisher and covering rooms — and residents — in a white, powdery substance.
"All residents stated they were asleep in their rooms at the time, and were awakened by someone coming in through their unlocked door," the complaint said. "The residents themselves were all covered with the residue."
Lindholm denied taking part in the incident, but the criminal report said video surveillance from the Towers hallway clearly showed both Goldemberg and Lindholm engaging in the activity.
Towers resident Michael Lisa reported many of the items in his room were ruined, including his computer, which cost more than $2,000 to replace. Another resident, Robert Kashko, reported the damage in his room to be $4,695, not including cleaning costs.
Jonathan Roffe, UW freshman and also a Towers resident, said he was half asleep with the door unlocked in his room when the suspects walked in and used the fire extinguisher. Roffe said he had met one of the suspects briefly on a previous occasion, but they were not friends.
All the rooms had to be washed extensively, he added, and several of his electronic devices have been malfunctioning since the incident. Roffe also said he tried to chase the suspects, but could not catch them at the time.
"I saw [one of the suspects] face and I screamed at him — then I got my roommate from across the hall and we chased him down the stairs," he said. "We didn't really know what this kid was thinking."
