Falls Man Attacks Neighbor for Allegedly Stealing His 'Computer Signal'

A 55-year-old Menomonee Falls man is facing multiple charges after he barged into his neighbor’s apartment and threw a computer against the wall because he felt the victim was stealing his “computer signal.”

John A. Hoogland was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court Wednesday with one count of disorderly conduct, one count of criminal trespass and one count of criminal damage to property. If convicted, he faces up to 21 months in prison and $21,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the victim was inside his apartment in the W14800 block of Main Street when Hoogland came in and began to yell at him for stealing his computer signal. The victim denied taking a signal, but Hoogland told him to “turn off his (expletive),” then grabbed the computer and threw it against a wall.

The victim then tried to call police, but Hoogland hit him in the leg then threw a cell phone the man had been using against the wall.

When police arrived at Hoogland’s apartment, he was wearing either jeans or jean short and didn’t have a shirt on and smelled of alcohol. He told police he had been drinking red wine and was having trouble with his computer signal and he traced the interference back to the victim’s apartment.

He then told police he walked outside the victim’s apartment and got a full signal with his small computer. The officer tried to explain the issue to Hoogland-who also had a blood alcohol level of 0.15 at the time-but he continued to insist he didn’t do anything wrong.

Hoogland then told the officers people had been entering his apartment that he thought were maintenance workers, however, he suspected them of moving his shoes and eating his bananas.

Officers asked Hoogland if he suffered from mental health issues, which he denied. He’s currently free on a $1,000 signature bond.