Drunken Vandalism at Lilydale Senior Living Leads to Burglary Charges

A Mendota man has been charged with burglary in the third degree after a vandalism incident July 7 at the construction site on Highway 13.

Mendota resident Zachary Lemaine Hoyt, 27, and St. Paul resident Erick James Stee, 27, were both arrested at the scene. Stee also faces one count of third-degree burglary. 

Police responded to a motion alarm at 3:31 a.m. coming from the construction site, which has been targeted several times by vandals and thieves.

When they arrived, one or both suspects were setting off fire extinguishers and throwing them through windows of the upper floors, according to the criminal complaints. When police backup arrived at the scene, the suspects jumped from the second floor down to the ground and started running before they were caught.

Police found broken windows, broken light fixtures, expelled fire extinguishers and green spray paint vandalism inside the building. 

According to the reports, Stee told police that they played a card game and drank a bottle of vodka at Hoyt's home with another person before Stee and Hoyt walked to in Lilydale for snacks. They then walked to the construction site.

Hoyt said he only watched Stee spraypaint the walls and set off the fire extinguishers. He said he wanted to go to the roof to see the view.

Stee told police that both he and Hoyt were responsible for breaking the light fixtures, but said he had been too drunk to remember if he'd emptied the fire extinguishers, broken the windows or spraypainted the walls. 

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